Day 41-48=Cruise!

Since I did something new every single day I just wanted to talk about some of the highlights of my week...that and I don't remember everything because I refused to get on a computer while at sea so I didn't keep a very good journal of the trip. I know, I know, I'm terrible sometimes.

Our cruise ship was massive, and at first really hard to navigate around in, but when I got past the initial confusion I was able to get wherever I wanted.

We spent most of the 5 hours before leaving port walking around. There was some Island sounds coming from midship and we traveled along the top dancing to it. Pretty fun...although everyone else thought I was insane including my family. I personally think I looked awesome!



We were just sitting around a lot, but excited!



Then we had to wait an extra half hour to leave because someone was rushed off the ship in an ambulance. It would stink to be so close to having a relaxing vacation but then have it wrecked by leaving on ambulance seconds before departure. Anyways, we sat on the deck for awhile before giving up and finally going to dinner.



We spent the next two days on the sea traveling down the California coast to Puerta Vallarta (sp?) and we spent it enjoying the buffet. Just kidding. The buffet wasn't ever open, so I spent those two days mostly reading the last minute book assignments I was given for my China trip next week. (I will be keeping better track of that trip considering journal entries are what they are grading me on.)

I also went sunbathing and I ended up looking like a tomato, but I healed pretty quickly.

I always love the towel animals they put on your bed at nights. Favorite one this week...



We pulled into Puerto on Wednesday, and went on an "extreme hiking" excursion which was pretty fun. It gave me a chance to practice my hiking skills for my class I'm taking in the fall. Yes, I am stoked. Do you even have to ask?

We hiked through the mountains overlooking the town, and at times it seemed like the uphill climb would never end. We reached the top in one piece though, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.



We then traveled back down, across a river, and through the town to a tequila tasting factory, which I didn't get to actually do. I guess I'm just not a drinker.

The next day we landed in Mazatlan which was gorgeous. Instead of hiking, we decided to go on a bus tour to different towns to see things like a brick making factory, bakery, tile, and pottery factory.













Next day we got to Cabo where we took a tender to the beach.

My mom, Ben, and I took the opportunity to go para sailing, and it was exhilarating.













Then we wanted to go swimming on one of the beaches and this is where we learned something. Don't trust anyone who says that their price is the lowest. They are ripping you off. One water taxi place charged us 10 bucks per person round trip to get to the beach. Later on in the day when we came back to town we heard people offering to take people for 4 bucks per person.

The second thing I learned is try to avoid people who drink because they don't care about taking a half hour out of your trip over to the beach to ask the boat driver to take them to a shop to get more alcohol. They then make stupid jokes that aren't funny, and take even more time out of your trip to a beach getting of the ship because they are rocking from the boat and the alcohol.

By the time we got to the beach we had to go back because we didn't have time. It was a very disappointing thing.

We went shopping before we got back on the tender to go back to the ship and pulled out of port.

The rest of the trip was pretty fun. We went to different bars on the ship, and watched different shows, you know the usual cruise shindig.

Overall it was a fun trip, although I didn't like the nonstop waiters asking me if I wanted a drink. I purposefully tried to look underage on this trip to avoid it but I think I got asked more times than anyone in my family.

Next trip? I'm thinking Mediterranean cruise.