The following is a cut-and-paste from a post I made on another thread. Ziggy29, as well as another forum member asked me to describe the trip, and I felt the description may have been missed where posted. So, the cut-and-paste.
-------------------------------
Just back.
Wonderful cruise.
We were the first ship back into Cozumel. Leaves gone off the trees. Some building damage. Snorklers reported that they saw few fish and much of the coral was gone. People remain friendly, and it seemed to me there were many good bargains for people interested in shopping.
Roatan was taken off our ports-of-call list due to inability to unload passengers. Progresso, Mexico was added. The good news there, for us, was the opportunity to visit Chichen Itza, as well as other Mayan ruins. After teaching about such places for 35 years I was finally able to see it for myself. The pyramid at Chichen Itza was absoltely awesome. Probably the greatest man-made wonder I have ever seen.
Belize was interesting. We took a boat down the Beliuze River and saw Crocadiles, Iguanas, Howler Monkeys, and other wildlife. The bus trip to the boat dock took us past people and their homes, which make one so thankful to be a citizen of a modern nation. Many of the homes wouldn't make good storage sheds. Poverty at its worst.
On the Yucatan Penninsula, we were told that summer climate can be 130 degrees with 100 percent humitity. Not a place to store coins.
To summarize, The western Caribbean is still a great place to vacation. Cancun wasn't opened back up yet, and Cozumel had lost some of its charm. However, the weather was great, and the water crystal clear....and the people friendly. And, of course, the cruise line personnel bend over backward to make your stay with them absoltely wonderful.
We were lucky that we just beat a tropical storm back home.
Getting home was interesting. We flew from Houston, north to Colorado, and then westward, across the San Luis Valley, 30,000 feet over our town of Delta, over Grand Junction, and on to Salt Lake City. All so that we could catch a flight back to Grand Junction, and then drive home to Delta!
Coins. I'll try and post pictures later. Nothing rare and exotic. My favorites were common stuff picked up in Belize. I liked their design. Also the paper currency.
A wonderful and memorable vacation. I would recommend it to anyone. Good to be home.
Posted 11/24/2005 11:54 am
