I have been wanting to write a post about the cruise every day but things have been in upheaval ever since we returned almost a month ago. I will get to that but first I want to get the last cruise ever out of the way.
We have sailed on Carnival so many times that they give us perks; for instance the free cruise to Australia in the fall of 2014 and the free cruise to Hawaii in December 2014. I took just one more cruise with them in 2016 when my daughter and I went to the Caribbean. This cruise was a repositioning cruise after a retrofit in Japan. Repositioning cruises are much less expensive than normal ones but they no longer make as many port stops. They gave us a free upgrade to a spa balcony room, a $250 on board credit that we used towards three shore excursions, and best of all, unlimited use of the spa that included a thermal massage pool, saunas, steam rooms, heated loungers and more. Our room was larger than most and was on the highest deck and was the furtherest cabin to the front of the ship. There were only about 25 cabins on the entire deck and so it was very quiet. All in all it was a quiet cruise because the 25 day length meant there were hardly any children, and most passengers were retirement age. And after I was well enough, I went to the casino and for the first time in my life I hit a jackpot. It was $1280 US dollars and on a penny machine. I immediately cashed out every cent at the cashiers window and never went into the casino again.
Our first shore excursion was booked for a tour in Vietnam but I couldn’t go due to being ill.. I tested negative for Covid but the more I think about it, this must have been the beginning of the actual Covid that I tested positive for a week later with a two day break in between of feeling half way well. Steve went on the excursion. Here is my view of Vietnam:
The next stop was Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. I never knew Malaysia was in two such widely far apart locations much less on Borneo. Once again, Steve went alone. He liked what he saw in Vietnam best.
Two days later we stopped in Manila where we had a cultural walking tour booked. I went on this one and it was great. We first went to Rizal Park. Jose Rizal is a national hero who was executed by the Spanish because of his activism against colonialism. He was an ophthalmologist, intellectual, and spoke 22 languages. His activism inspired the revolution and he is featured throughout the park with statues and re-enactment statues of his imprisonment and execution.
Intramuros, an old walled part of the city that includes the San Agustin church which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a museum, old barracks and other structures is adjacent to Rizal Park.
During all of this time several people stayed on the bus because they were not able to walk this much. Each place that we stopped, our tour guide would say we are leaving in xx minutes for the next location. Each time we waited for one or two stragglers. I lived in Germany for many years and can tell you tour bus people disliked having to take Americans around because of their tardiness. The museum had many rooms and one part had three floors. Sure enough, when it was time to leave and the tour guide did a head count, two were missing. That poor woman, who was not young, searched the museum walking up and down three flights and couldn’t find them. We finally left and walked a good distance to the bus and there were the stragglers who evidently had lockjaw disease.. We were then supposed to drive through the heart of the city but guess what? We ran out of time due to the inconsiderate people.
Steve and I kept saying to each other that we felt like we were in Mexico looking at the overhead wires, the congestion, how the buildings looked, the many motor scooters, just everything in general.
Almost two weeks later we arrived in Oahu, Hawaii and by then every other person on the ship was coughing terribly. And also by then I was fiercely craving some healthy food. You can imagine after such a long time of the ship not replenishing food items,; the lettuce is old, the fruit is old and all the vegetables are the frozen variety. There was not a shortage of dishes heavy on carbohydrates though. We took a bus straight to Waikiki Beach where I googled “healthy restaurant near me.”
After getting settled again we began car shopping. We have a 2015 Mazda that we bought prior to moving to Mazatlan two years ago. From the beginning it has had a battery problem that no one has been able to figure out the cause of. We have to drive the car at least every 4 days or disconnect the battery in order for it not to be depleted. We bought 4 batteries the first year we owned it. Another thing is, I am short, and for some reason can’t figure out where I am on the road or with parking so I hit things (but not other cars or people thankfully). I never did that before when we had the Chevy Tracker or even the big Honda Pilot. So I have been wanting another smaller square car with big windows and we found one. The dealership has had our money (verified transfer receipt) for six days and they are still doing paperwork and I am waiting for the phone call that we can pick the car up. So frustrating but as people say “that’s Mexico”. Entrega Inmediata really means mañana. In Mexico, mañana really means whenever or never.
The other upheaval is a nasty under handed situation with our homeowners association. There are so many stories about the autocratic things other HOA’s have done elsewhere. I was so proud of this one and how well our condo’s two towers and grounds are maintained and my beliefs all fell apart. In addition, there is a trumped up issue with our sweet little dog, the most beloved dog here, the one everyone says is the sweetest well behaved dog in all the condo’s.. The dog who we thought had had her voice box removed because she never let out one sound until we had had her for three weeks. I don’t want to keep you in suspense, just like I dislike Netflix series that leave me in suspense until the next season, but I want to wait to see how things are going to shake out in the near future.
My record of getting sick on cruises is now up to 60% where it had been 56%. That’s why it is my final cruise.
Wanderlets 