Post-Cruise Blues

We went on a another cruise the first week of June. It was great, my girls all had a great time, Dana lounged by the pool and was pampered. I was just glad to get out of town for a few days. I love to travel when I do and I travel far too infrequent. Must get out of the house more.
We did the Carnival Conquest again to the same ports, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. In Jamaica we bussed out to near Ocho Rios and climbed the world famous Dunns Rivers Falls. We would have done better to go by ourselves and climbed on our own. We climbed up part of a group linked hand in hand. The water is clear, cool, and it really reminded me a lot of the Nueces River outside Uvalde, Texas. Dana bitched and complained every step of the way up but she was so proud of herself upon reaching the top and completing the climb. I'm proud of her too. Stephanie did well also, she's a real trooper and kept up with us all.
The jamaican locals we encountered were all trying to sell something and make a buck, really didn't care for them much. I'm sure the rest of the locals aren't like that, hope not anyway. Would really have loved to have spent some days there exploring and enjoying the island. I did buy a hat with dreadlocks, payed too much for it, $20.00, always wanted one of those. Jamaica really is a paradise, a green jewel rising up out of the Carribbean.
Grand Cayman island is still too expensive to really enjoy for all 5 of us so Victoria, Dana, and Stephanie stayed aboard ship in port and Judith and myself landed and walked about the port close to the landing. I found the local public library and checked my emails. Logging on the internet on ship costs $.75/min so I would log on and quickly check, then log off keeping it to an average of $2.50/day. At the library I learned that Obama clinched the democratic nomination for the upcoming election.
We also visited a church on the waterfront that has a long and rich history on Grand Cayman Island. The roof is built of salvaged wood from ship wrecks and was built by a local shipwright in the shape and style of an inverted boat for structural strength. It's a beautiful piece of workmanship and has weathered nearly a century of hurricanes. They don't make them like that anymore. Visiting churches is a personal favorite of mine, especially the long standing and historically rich churches. This one has memorial plaques in the walls. Two of the local church women welcomed us and offered us cool water. God bless them for their kindness to us travellers as the day was hot. Before Judith and I landed, I took some pictures from the deck of the ship. Judith is growing up so beautiful and she looks more and more like my grandmother. They are some of my favorite pictures of her.
Upon our return, I aired out my brother's house next door and Judith came inside wearing a traditional mexican dress and it was a start how close she resembles my grandmother. She has darker skin than her sisters and her facial features scream out with my grandmother's features. Her demeaner and mannerisms are so much like my grandmather also. I can only imagine my grandmother as a young woman when I look at my Judith.
Cozumel was nice, we took a catamaran out and did some snorkeling and landed on the beach for an hour or so to play and kayak and swim. Judith was kicked in the thigh by a horse. She's OK thank God. That would have really ruined the trip. Stephanie initially did not want to go into the water so I waited for Dana and the girls to go in and explained to Stephanie that she did not have to go under the water as we will. She could just float about the surface in her life vest and observe the coral reef and sea life while floating above. She consented and we entered the water and she was fine. It was great to snorkel again and All my girls were in awe of the sport and the reef and the sealife. This made the whole trip for me and I am still in awe at my girls and their awe. That is one of my greatest pleasures as a father, to watch my children discover and to see the look on their faces.
On the catamaran to the beach and back to the ship the beer and maragitas did flow and I did partake of the goodness. I danced with my girls on the deck and did drink, a lot. It was fun and I can't wait to take my girls out when they come of age. They're real party animals of the same spirit as their father.
The water is so clear and blue there and you can see straight to the seafloor 40- 50ft down and maybe deeper. I am unable to look at the the local green and tan gulf and bay water without thinking it dirty. Especially, after looking at carribbean water.
My girls had a blast and that's all that really matters. Travelling with Dana is either pure bliss or pure hell, no inbetween there. She's complaintive, can be loud and doesn't dance and just lays about by the pool or in her cabin and the ever present book is always there. Sometimes that can be real buzz kill. I did find a space of deck far forward away from the crowds, loud music, lights and everyone. It was great and I would spend hours there with the unobstructed views fore and aft. I have some great pics of the girls on that space of deck and the sunsets. Dana wasn't too impressed and her picture shows it. The stars at night are beautiful there.
Just like the last cruise on the Conquest I'd find my self in the passage way to or from my cabin and able to hear the lovemaking in the cabins through the thin cabin doors. This must be the new thing for me, I'm not actively listening for these sounds but they come through the doors. Then I catch a glimpse of the occupants on the last night of the cruise or as we are all disembarking at the end. My imagination running wild.
Can't wait to go out again, Dana wants to go in 2009, I'd happily wait till 2010. The next time, I'm getting the bacony cabin. I don't care for the crowds and find myself seeking peace and quiet. I think a balcony cabin would really be the ticket.
I don't know when I'll get to travel with my girls like that again. I had the most fun with them, dancing, out about the decks, shopping, out ashore. Travelling with my young ladis as they grow up is fun. They aren't little girls anymore. I would let Victoria and Judith run about the ship with their new found friends and didn't see Judith at dinner except for the first two nights. Victoria would come to dinner because our tablemated have a 17 year old daughter. The two were inseperable the entire time at sea. Victoria and Judith would make it back to the cabin by midnight, then we would watch movies in our cabin. This trip out we watched "Juno". Stephanie was the only one I had to really keep a close eye on. She's only 8 years old, but tries to act as a teen, like her sisters. The only times I really looked for my girls about the ship were just before we left port to go back to sea. Wouldn't want to have left one of mine alone in a tropical paradise.
Now we've been home a couple of weeks and it's back to the same old same old. I feel great and can't wait to go out again. Now to work to save money for the next time out.