Cruise--Day 4 Jamaica

Jamaica Man.

No Problem!

Today most of us headed out on a guided tour of Shaw Park and Dunns River Falls, with a little shopping thrown it! This is a BEAUTIFUL island. Great weather! Even a light rain early in the moring didn't slow us down. Jamaica isn't like the USA. We were on our tour bus and headed out by 8AM. There was very little traffic at this hour though we did see lots of kids headed to school. All kids in Jamaica wear school uniforms (in an effort to show little distinction between wealthy kids and low income kids). Different colored uniforms denote different schools. There are bars and churches on each block in Jamaica, much like MT. Later in the morning (10AM), when we were headed from Shaw Park to Dunns River Falls, we saw a lot more traffic.

Our ship

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Lush and Beautiful

Shaw Park was our first stop. It was once a hotel but is now a protected park.

It is lush, steep, and boasts its own waterfall.

We got a work-out touring it.

Pretty

The princess, myself, the king, and the prince

Shaw Park Falls

The princess and prince in a HUGE tree!


There is much wild life in Shaw Park!

Up close!

Little guy

Our next stop was Dunns River Falls. Everyone except Grandma and Andy climbed (though I admit I got out about 2/3 of the way through--darn knee). It was refreshingly cool. The guides told us to lock up our personal belongings so we didn't have our camera as we climbed, but luckily, Grandma and Andy found a good spot to watch and shoot pictures!

This is what it looks like early on.

You go in a guided group up the falls.

Can you spot Becky and Tamires?

Marty and Shelley

The prince, princess and king.

Any chance to sample the rum!

Grandma!

We were back on the boat in the afternoon to enjoy more fun by the pool, movies, rock climbing, and bingo.

Guess who won a cruise playing

"Win A Cruise Bingo"?!?!

Yep...it runs in the family.

His mom won one a few years ago.

Congratulations Matt and Liz!

This is an AWESOME ship!

When you are sitting pool-side and open pop rocks,

the humidity immediately clumps them together.

Then your mom has to get a spoon and tip you backward to eat them!

The gentlemen in their awesome island attire at dinner.

Handsome!

Yum! Desert...or two...or three...

About "Where The Bluebird Sings To The Lemonade Springs: Living and Writing in the West"

I just read--okay, tried to read "Where The Bluebird Sings To The Lemonade Springs: Living and Writing In The West" by Wallace Stegner. I am not giving it any stars because it was so dry that I couldn't finish. I only got about 1/2 way through it and skimmed much of that. This is an author who grew up in the west during the depression. He has written some novels but mostly he writes essays, and this is a collection of essays. Most of them seem to be about conservation in the west. It reminded me of books I had to read in college. It wasn't fun then. I see no reason to torture myself now! Rarely do I not finish a book, especially a book-club book, but I couldn't do it this time. OUCH!

Cruise--Day 3 Grand Caymen Island

Our first port was Grand Cayman. The king and I took a similar cruise route about 19 years ago and stopped at this port. We took the same tour you'll see photos of soon. We also tried to swim with sting rays (Cayman is famous for them), but they were agitated from the rain the night before. It was only after that excursion was cancelled that the king admitted to his new bride that he didn't know how to swim. That male ego is really something. He was willing to drown in the ocean instead of admitting his lack of skills in the water! Silly guy.

Most of us opted to shop the nearby shops. Shelley and I even managed to find a Christmas gift for the folks. YIPPEE! And I was determined to purchase some Tortuga Rum Cake (also famous in Cayman and made there), which we did--chocolate, of course, and VERY strongly smelling and tasting of rum. The princess is convinced she was a little woozy after her slice. I think not.

Jeanette tried snorkeling in the area and was sorely disappointed with the quality of her tours.

Jared, Grandma, the prince and the king took a guided tour of Cayman that did not include the banking system. :) Photos follow. Apparently we put the camera away after that excursion because we didn't take anymore photos that day except the very last photo in this post.

Weather in Cayman was in the low 80*s that day and sunny.

Waiting for the bus, Gus.

First stop, Hell, Cayman Islands.

Grandma had some postcards mailed there--postmarked "Hell".

Jared was quickly identified as a Mormon at the post office...weird.

They toured the rum factory--same rum used in the cakes.

They also got to sample some run IF they were over 18.

Grandma bought 3 bottles--as gifts--wink, wink!

This guy was spotted on a patio so the king

was able to snap this shot from quite a distance away.

Then they headed to the Turtle Farm--a big business and huge tourist attraction in Cayman.

The prince

Jared

Grandma

Some of the turtles are 70-years-old and weight 400 lbs.

That evening the kids were in the arcade when an air hockey contest was announced.

They all entered, and the prince took 1st place!

One more thing about Cayman: when the king and I toured we got to see a shallow snorkle area (which is actually located near the Turtle Farm) where the movie "Blue Lagoon" (Brooke Shields) was filmed. It was amazingly beautiful, and it's the way I tend to think of Cayman, though that's not at all what it looks like in most of Cayman. One day in Cayman is enough for me.

By the way, Jimmy Buffet's Cayman Margaritaville in Cayman was rockin' when we walked to it and so crowded that the princess, Shelley, and I couldn't get in for a cool beverage. Maybe some other time.

Cruise--Day 2 At Sea

Our first day at sea...so much to do...so little time...and formal dinner too!

Our ship had an ice skating rink, so we went to a show.

Impressive what they could do on that small rink!

Andy, Matt, Liz, and Shelley

The king, princess, and Grandma

Me and the prince

After the show we spent the afternoon on deck...

first by the pool and later on the sports deck.

Family photo!

Only the prince is missing.

Hee hee!

The king and his brother!

Jared entered a rock climbing contest and won first place!

He's a great climber.

Strategizing.

Phew! He made it!

A gold medal!

We followed this up with some ping-pong action!

Andy and Marty

Jeanette and the princess

See the ball in action?

J, Jared, and the princess

Two against one?

No fair.

The king played a mean game too,

but I don't have the photos to prove it.

And then a little sunset-minigolf.

By then the wind had really picked up

so we only played a few holes.

Jared and the princess

(Love this photo.)

Jared and the princess give Jeanette pointers!

The princess Jared The prince

And then a show and Formal Night Dinner

The king, Liz, and Matt

My sisty and me!

At bed time we found these:

Folded Towels:

The Stingray and a Flower