Travel With Betsy

Here’s one of the down sides of cruising…..internet access is sporadic at best.  So, for the last few days, I have not been able connect so that I can update you on all of the fun activities.   But, here’s a small taste of what we have been up to in the last few days.

We have now had three sea days, which I happen to like.  I spent the first sea day resting…in the room, on the deck, in the common area of the ship….everywhere….move over Rip Van Winkle.   The second sea day was spent in the sun.  The weather here is beautiful and with a nice breeze, which was very misleading. bAs it turns out, it was actually really hot and sunny and perfect sunburn weather.  So, when you see me next, I will have the coloring of a lobster…nice and pink…..in places that don’t normally see the sun.  Ouch!  Consequently, the third sea day was spent inside and in the shade.  

Mike and I took a cooking class on the ship where we made some very yummy dishes.  The most interesting was an nappetizer of  smoked salmon, an avocado mixture and a crab concoction each layered on top of the other and topped off with caviar.  We constructed this dish in something that looked like a round metal cookie cutter.  After everything was compiled inside the ring, we then removed the ring and the layers stood up on their own.  Quite something.  I was very impressed with myself.  Presentation is everything…..fun times!

When we boarded the ship, the four of us decided that we would need to break the monotony of the meals in the main dining room with a meal or two in the special dining room called “Murano”.  This dining room is sepcial because it has a different, more upscale, menu than the main dining room.  There is also a charge to eat here.  Now, you would think that this would go against our policy of getting the best deal, but Mike and Gene, expert deal makers, managed to find a good deal even here…. or at leas they were able to convince themselves of this.  We knew that we wanted to  eat in the sepcial dining room at least one night….because after all, it IS special.  So, after some calculation, the boys decided that eating in “Murano” only one night would not be the best deal.  They concluded that the more times we eat in “Murano”, the cheaper the per night per person cost would be beacuse of a special promotion that was offered.  So, we signed up for five nights instead of one, in order to save moeny and get the best per person rate.  So, we are spending more money in total in order to get a “bargain”.  I”m grateful for the lesson on economics, but I’m stll tossing this rationale around in my head…HMMMM…..

We have now had two “bargain” dinners and are glad we signed up.  The food has been pretty darn good.  We have not ordered wine yet, as we have our own stash on board.  However, when the Sommelier heard htat I worked at a winery, we got special attention and a detailed explanation on the nuances of the wines on the list for purchase.  We may consider one of these very nice bottles on another visit to “Murano”.  But, only if it is a good deal.

We have now had two stops in Mexico, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.  Both were interesting in their own ways.  What is similar, though, is that there is an incredible dichotomy of wealth and poverty.  There is lots of upscale shopping, dining and hotel options.  But, also lots of homelessness and begging by adults as well as children.  I find this distressing in many ways.  The children bother me the most.  It is as if they are in training for adulthood in Mexico..selling “junk” to tourists and begging.  I had the exact same feeling when I crossed the Mexican border from Laredo, TX.   I couldn’t wait to cross back into the United States.  This wasn’t quite as bad, but still disturbing.  I have a much better appreciation for the people who worked with me at the Wisdom Center who escaped this type of lifestyle.  I give them a lot of credit for seeking out a better life. 

On the plus side, both places were beautiful and the beaches were delightful.  Tomorrow we are heading in to Guatelmala.  There will be no negotiation with Mike on walking.  He had already decided that he will not be getting off the ship.  So, the rest of us will press on…..

Stay tuned for more when I am able to get another internet connection! 

This entry was posted on January 9, 2013 at 4:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.