Birthday Cruise

My brother and I have amazing parents that sent us on a birthday cruise! Matt's birthday is in May and mine is in August so June was the perfect time between each of our special days to take a vacation. We LOVE to cruise. I mean - we love it. It is the best kind of vacation I can think of - food at any hour, dance music on the deck, ample time to read and soak up some sun, opportunities to meet people from all over, exciting excursions off the boat, and, best of all, you don't have to do any thinking or planning of where to go, what to do, etc. Everything is ready for you when you walk on board.

This was my 5th cruise with Carnival and I cannot say how wonderful each one has been. This time, Matt and I got a room with a balcony. I will tell you - once you go balcony, you don't go back. :) It was such a nice feature to have. About 10 minutes after we set sail from Galveston, I was already passed out sitting in a chair on the balcony. When I woke up I told my brother, "I haven't been that relaxed in 2 years!" Seriously y'all, it's the truth. 

Day 1: Embarkation and First Night at Sea

We set sail Saturday, June 20th from Galveston and headed toward Progreso, Mexico. The first afternoon/night on the cruise is so exciting! You spend time getting to know your way around the boat and meet lots of new people. There is always a send-off party on the Lido deck with lots of music and dancing. We hung out there for a while and enjoyed the music and mingling. Everyone was so excited to be on board and the staff was equally excited to have us there. Dinner the first night is always interesting, especially if you are seated at a table with other people. We were fortunate enough to have a super sweet newlywed couple, Mike and Crystal, joining us for dinner. They were from Houston so we had lots to talk about! The food is usually pretty good and you get to try new things you wouldn't have tried before. (Little inside secret: the dinners are all you can eat so you can try everything if you are really feeling adventurous!)

Day 2: First Day at Sea

The days at sea are some of my favorite days on the cruise. They are so relaxing and allow me time to kick back, work on my tan, read my book, and eat lots of delicious food. We started the day by sleeping in and catching the sit-down breakfast in the dining room. I got some amazing Frosted Flake crusted french toast and conversed with a funny couple from Dallas. They were celebrating the wife's 60th birthday and she was a cute as a button. We bonded over cheddar grits and coffee. Most of the day I spent reading my book, The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy is a great read by the way), and soaking up sun on the Lido deck. This night was formal night so Matt and I dressed to impress and enjoyed lobster for dinner. So delicious! A really cool thing about cruises is that they have mini photo shoots every night at dinner time. Matt and I decided to get a photo of us take for the parents and grandparents. We had to explain to the photographer that we were siblings, not a couple. (Haha!) It is always neat to see couples and families dressed up on formal night! We were fortunate enough to have a west facing balcony on the way to Progreso and the sunset was just beautiful!

Day 3: Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico

Progreso was the first excursion day! We got up really early to meet our group and head to Homun for our Cenote Swim day. Our tour guide, Alan (of Mayan and Cuban descent), was so great! He was funny and very knowledgable about the area and the Mayan culture. We drove 2 hours on a bus to Homun, a city southeast of Merida, the capital of Yucatan. Alan took us through the town of Cuzman where we were able to really see the village. We learned about the market, the streetcars used to drive short distances, the local churches, and even saw a Mayan ruin in the middle of the city! We also drove by some old Mayan huts that people are still living in today. Alan told us about how the Mayan's lived and some history of their culture and rituals. The main part of our tour was in Homun where we swam in 2 cenote's there. Cenote's are basically natural ground water reserves that were exposed from sinking limestone. The Mayan's used these cenote's in sacrificial offerings to the gods. We swam in a semi-open centote (with a hole allowing for some sunlight exposure) and a closed cenote (no exposed sunlight). It was such an amazing experience! I have always wanted to swim in a cenote! I didn't get any pictures inside of the cenote because the GoPro camera died on the trip to Homun.

After we swam, we were provided lunch by some of the local Mayan descendants who lived in the village nearby. They fed us salbutes, which are essentially tacos. They hand make and fry corn tortillas and place lettuce, marinated chicken, avocado, mexican cucumber, and pickled red onions on top. They also had fresh roasted habanero salsa to add on the top of the salbutes. Y'all, these were the BEST tacos I have ever eaten in my life. All the ingredients were local and organic and prepared in house. So delicious!! (I am jonesing for a salbutes right now…)

When lunch was over we walked around the village and met some of the local people who were selling items made from hemp. Hemp is a populous plant in Homun. I bought a hand fan made from hemp, a really nice dish made from a tree, and a Mayan hair brush. (Mayan legend says those who use the brush will have long, beautiful hair!) It was so neat to meet the people and help support them by buying their handmade items. Matt bought a hammock for $50. It is so beautiful and one of the more sturdier hammocks I have seen.

The bus ride home was long - Alan said, "See you in 2 hours. It's time for a siesta!" We napped and when we got back on the boat it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. After dinner I watched Cinderella at the "Dive In Movie" on the Lido deck. So fun!

Mayan Ruin in Cazmun.

Old Mayan Hut.

Salbutes!!

Making the fried corn tortillas.

Day 4: Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cozumel is always a fun place to visit. It is definitely more commercialized than Progreso but there is always a lot to do. Matt and I signed up for a 2 tank scuba dive with Sand Dollar divers. A little over a month ago, I got scuba certified so I could do this dive on the cruise. The dive in Cozumel was my first BIG dive. I was a little anxious but having my brother there helped! When we got off the boat it started to rain and there were dark clouds and lightening off the coast. We were really disappointed because our dive to "The Wall" was cancelled due to the weather. We were still able to dive to about 70 feet at another part of the reef for our first dive. Our second dive was a drift dive to about 45 feet and I saw some amazing things! I cannot tell you what it is like to be under water, swimming with fish, and being a part of their environment. I would say diving is one of the coolest things I have EVER done! On the drift dive I saw 2 barracudas, a parrot fish, an eel, 2 lobsters, and lots and lots of other fish. Words and pictures just do not do this experience justice. Take a look at these pictures and video:

Did you see the barracuda in the second video?? The pictures and video just don't do the ocean justice.

Day 5: Last Day at Sea

The last day at sea is always a lazy day. After two full days of excursions we were exhausted! We slept in and then ate breakfast in the dining room. I had Frosted Flake crusted french toast and it was delicious as always. I soaked up some sun on the Lido deck and read my book, The Shadow Throne, while listening to the sounds of the ship's resident DJ. I napped some before dinner and enjoyed a last delicious meal. After dinner Matt and I met up with our dinner table buddies to see the final comedy shows. One of them was so funny! He made everyone in the room laugh. The sunset on the last night was gorgeous!

All in all, they trip was so relaxing and fun! I am glad to have spent the quality time with my brother. Not many people can say that they are friends with their siblings but I am so blessed to be so close to mine! Thanks Mom and Dad for helping me start out my summer right!

"Being out there in the ocean, God's creation, it's like a gift He has given us to enjoy."  

-Bethany Hamilton

Singapore Day 10: Singapore Architecture, Sultan Mosque/Arab Street, Pottery Jungle

Thursday, June 14th

**Not all the pictures from today's trip have been able to upload.  Check back tomorrow and I will have them all up!! :)


Today, Jenna and I got up and went exploring in Singapore.  When we first arrived, Patrice gave us a map of the "attractions" in Singapore. We decided to take the map and pick out a few places within a few blocks of each other to visit.

We took the MRT from Marsiling (kinda down the street from where Patrice lives) to City Hall which took about 45 minutes. We saw some interesting people on there this morning....it's just interesting to see how the people here live by seeing them on the trains. I wish Houston had better (and safer) public transportation.  I have really enjoyed riding the MRT and experiencing that part of the city.

When we got off the MRT, we walked down to St. Andrew's cathedral.  It was beautiful!!  We took some pictures and walked down the street to City Hall.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of construction on city hall and we did not get to see it up close....or see it really at all.  :)

Around the corner was the Parliament House and there was a little museum that Jenna and I walked through.  The country's government is definitely impacted by the British....which makes sense since it was a British territory.

We walked down the street in search of more great architecture.  We walked by more shops....its becoming comical at this point....and found a McDonalds.  We debated whether or not we should stop.  We thought it would be funny to eat something "American" in a foreign country.  We said no, but thought we might revisit the option if we got hungry on our walking tour.

The weather was really hot today.  We caught a breeze every once in a while, which made the stints in the sun bare able.

We found a cue little fire station on our way to the Armenian church.  It was really cute to see a fire house in the middle of the city. Across the street was the Armenian church.  It was very small.  This church is the oldest church in Singapore.  There was a guestbook there and I signed it!! :)  Next to the church was a "Black and White House".  These houses can be found all over the island and were originally made for British settlers and traders. They are very pretty and a historic landmark on the island.

Around the corner and up the hill from the Armenian church was the Philatelic Museum.  This is basically a museum of stamps.  Jenna and I did not want to pay to see a bunch of stamps. I will say that the museum had an amazing air conditioner.  We hung around a bit to plan our next move.

We decided to head down the street to the Singapore National Archives building that was next door. We got to see how the causeway was built and they history behind that.  The causeway is a bridge that connects Malaysia to Singapore.  There is a checkpoint near the Woodlands where Patrice and Ernie live.  It was interesting to see how the causeway was built and the impact it had in World War 2.  The bridge was destroyed to  prevent the Japanese from invading the island in 1942.

As we walked from the archives to the Peranakan Museum, Jenna and I stopped in a Bible Store and looked around.  It was neat to see bibles in so many different languages.

We walked a couple blocks to visit the Peranakan Museum.  This was a very neat place.  The museum itself was bright and airy and very colorful.  It had a lot of exhibits that dealt with the cultures of this group of people.  We saw wedding items, religious items, food and housewares, and much more.

Nonya Ware that the Peranakans used.

Peranankans are a group of people in Singapore who come from a mixed ancestry.  Hundreds of years ago, traders would spend some time in Singapore.  Most would leave, but some stayed behind and married local women.  The children of these people were considered Peranakans.  (The word comes from the Malay word meaning "locally born".)  There are different types of Peranakans....Chinese, Arab, Indian.....

When we left the Peranakan museum, we walked to the McDonalds and snacked on a Happy Meal.  It was yummy and tasted almost like home.  (Here they serve corn as a side and chicken legs.....weird.)

We walked down the street more and stumbled across the Good Shepard Catholic Church.  There was a mass going on so we got to hear the priest talk about marriage...which was really interesting.

Across the street, was the Chijmes area.  This was an old church venue that has since been turned into shops and restaurants.  It seems like a very neat place to eat....when it's not so hot outside!!

We also stopped by the War Memorial which was made for all the lives lost in the struggle against Japan in World War 2.  It was fun to walk around the city and explore some of these sites!!

Tired after waling around the city all day!!!

Area of the map we covered in the morning/afternoon.

Jenna and I met Patrice and Elliott for lunch at Din Tai Fung and we enjoyed a last big meal before getting on the plane.  We left lunch and took the MRT to Arab Street where we saw the Sultan Mosque.  I have never been in a mosque before so this was a new experience for me.  We met this guy, Jason, who was a converted Muslim from the states who talked to us about the mosque and his religion.  It was very interesting to hear him talk....he was kinda funny too!!

We hopped back on the MRT to Redhill where we got off and hailed down a cab.  (Elliott was kind enough to buy us Slurpees at the 7-11 in the MRT station.  I haven't had a slushy is forever!!!)

We took a cab to the east end of the island to go to Pottery Jungle.  This was a really cool place that makes all kinds of pottery.  We were specifically looking for Nonya Ware.  Nonya Ware is plates and such found in the Peranankan culture.  We hit the jackpot and found a lot to choose from.  I also got a few other things there which were really unique to Singapore.

Ernie came and picked us up on his way home from work.  We drove past the Chinese cemetery and stopped off to take some pictures.  I have never seen a cemetery area like this in my life.  It was neat to see how such differences in cultures create such differences in burying the dead.  There gravestones are large structures that have pictures, statues, writings, and flowers.  The family's of the dead leave food at the grave site.  This is to feed the ghost of their dead relative...but really the stray dogs come by and eat all the food.  I also learned that they bur their dead standing up and that each of the grave stones you see are rented for 30 years.  That means that if space is needed and your 30 years is up, they can tear down the grave and use it for someone else.  How that works I am not sure!!

We left the cemetery and drove back to Ernie and Patrice's to pack up.  It is now 11:30 pm here and we are ready to leave for the airport.  It has been such an incredible trip and I can actually say I will miss this place.

Prayers for safe travel, please!