RTW and Road Trip

Brisbane, Australia

Thu, 30 May 2024 08:20:00 +1000

Arrived Brisbane Airport at 5.15 am!

Homeward Bound

Los Angeles, United States

Tue, 28 May 2024 08:20:00 -0700

Tuesday 28th May Los Angeles I know I’ve put Los Angeles, it just sounds a little more romantic than El Segundo, the very fast and very expensive area that surrounds the airport. With a motel of every type, price and comfort on every corner, it does help to keep the median price of food, petrol and general groceries artificially high. Mind you California is an expensive place for most things, down to the high taxes for fuel and anything even moderately contributable to a politicians view on global warming. A degradable free plastic bag in Walmart in its bordering state Arizona, a 10c non degradable one here! Fuel $2.65 a gallon in Texas, $5.29 just outside the window here. A car hire in Florida, a $150 cheaper for 9 days than here. I know the mountains are high between here and the next state, but are they really high enough to prevent their global warming from infiltrating here? Mind you, being cut up by Teslas on the freeway, does make me feel much better, when I realise they are doing it for the environment. But hey, Australia is banning coal in Australia, but sees fit to sell it for exagerated profit to China, for them to burn it! So lets put it all down to politics and politicians, I think it makes me feel a little better!!! Perhaps I just have a downer on California, I cannot understand why anybody would come and believe they have seen America,once visiting here. I would respectfully suggest to anyone, cast your net so much further, to the friendliness of the southern states, the homeliness of the midwest and the honesty of the rest of America, there is so much more than this. California does remind me of a the television programs filmed here, all fake, gloss and botox! Having just driven 2,719 miles from Tampa, I must admit, decending the Santa Monica Mountains into LA has a certain spectacle about it. The 14 lane highway (7 each side) does have a little drama, a little bit of awe and dare I say ‘pinch me, is this really me doing this’ feeling about it. Houston was fast and frantic, but I certainly felt more comfortable than here. It wasn’t the amount of cars or the speed, it was the undertaking and complete disregard for anyone, least that’s how it felt. One person, making one mistake would be carnage. The trip across this huge Continent has been boring, exhilarating, fast, slow, scenic, eye opening and educational. The thing I have enjoyed most, is meeting people like me and you, them having views of the world like me and you, and seeing what can be done in a country with such good infrastructure in place. We spent $200 US on fuel and $550 US on car hire, plus for a west coast drop off, a further $300 US. No matter how we spent our time here, the motel costs woulld be the same, as would the car hire. The extras of course would be the drop off fee and some of the fuel costs. Then of coarse, we would have transcontinental flight costs to pay. So cost effective it was. Would I do it again, probably not. Would I have preferred to have flown? Most definitely not!

El Segundo

Barstow, United States

Sun, 26 May 2024 08:20:00 -0700

Barstow, California. Sunday 26th May There I was, driving throgh the California (Mojave) Desert, the Providnce Mountans to my right, the Pinto to my right, and then a sign ‘Next Exit Boggs Road, Essex!’ Talk about ‘the only way is Essex’! My daydream, came crashing back to earth! If I thought I’d seen desert in the previous days, it was nothing compared to this. Ranges upon ranges of mountains, miles upon miles of desert and a road that goes from almost sea level to 4000 feet on a three lane highway that has not a single bend, back down to sea level and then up again. Also known as the ‘High Desert’, I know that one climb was through the San Bernardino Range. Quite epic stuff, but a guide in the car to point out all of the extremes and scenery would have been wonderful. Maybe a place to explore on a Harley Davison and a good twenty years off my age! We had driven all manner of roads on this 6 hour stretch, from single lane to four whilst skirting Phoenix. Amongst what was very arid country, it was surprising to find so many farms growing huge fields of soy beans or acres of Pastatio Trees. Where irrigation was available, every use of it was made. We arrived a Barstow, our last stop on this now epic journey for me. Quite a pretty and lively town/city slap on the old Mother Road. Route 66 passed straight through here and there were plenty of opportunities on the way through the desert to join parts of the old road, hence the Harley vibe from me earlier! As an aside and more for the Mother Road enthusiasts, Barstow is the only city in the USA that retains the name ‘Main Street’, that runs right through the place. Route 66’s early nickname was indeed ‘The main street of America’! Monday 27th May Barstow, California. Obviously being English, Route 66, the music that supported the era and if I am honest, all happening when the Liverpool sounds were emerging back home, Route 66 and what it meant to Americans, was not at the front of mind. After saying all of that, looking around the Route 66 museum yesterday, brought back memories of American Movies, fashion, some cars as a kid I longed for and general paraphernalia that supported the era, both here and at home, back in the day. What Route 66 meant to America is best described by the museums own literature, ‘Starting at the interstate off-ramp, Route 66 transports drivers to the countryside, where they slow down and become aware of of the road’s texture and rhythm, the scenery comes into focus, the shape of the land, the plants, the farms, the industry, the communities, the people, the life. The road, follows the natural topography of the land, which makes the horizon appear closer and more intimate. The driver is both spectator and participant, ready for the road’. The museum itself is situated across the huge Barstow railway junction and over a large steel girdered bridge, which was the original route taken by the Mother Road. The Barstown railway station still has that aurora of bygone days, with the old ticket hall, waiting rooms and hotel situated in the Casa Del Desierto. The ‘Main Street’ of Barstow has some signs and memorabilia of the old road. Murals, some old facades and street signs celebrate the era. As a matter of interest, Route 66 was the first two laned, bitumen and concrete road, to traverse the country from Chicago to Los Angeles. It can now only be traveresed in parts, due to its decommissioning. Road signs directing tourists to the parts of the road that can still be seen are also becoming less, as these are often stolen by tourists. Another quote from the handout, creates another vision of the experience. ‘Route 66 is not for everybody. It is not for people in a hurry…. or for people used to homogenised food and drink….. or for people that shy away from anything old fashioned. Route 66 is for people willing to sample chilli from a strangers pot… or for people that like to slurp root beer floats from a frosty mug…. Or people that are willing to tackle a burger that requires at least a dozen napkins to sop up the grease. Route 66 is for people that will always be suckers for neon lights and home cooked meals’!

Hotel

Sunrise over the High Desert

Old Barstow Railway Station

Gila Bend, United States

Sat, 25 May 2024 08:20:00 -0700

Gila Bend, Arizona Saturday May 25th If Gila Bend sounds like it’s in the middle of nowhere, it’s probably because it is. After driving over 5 hours from New Mexico, taking in the outskirts of both Tucson and Phoenix, this is where we arrived for the night. Surrounded by the rocky mountains of the Sanoran Desert, in which its sits. Gila Bend was apparently not named after a bend in the road, but an almost right angled bend in the Gila River, not far from here. I think you might need to be a resilient type of person to make a go of it here, apart from it’s solitude, the arid desert climate also produces freezing night temperatures in winter and daytime temps of well over 110f in the summer, the highest recorded 120f, serious heat I think you might agree. Our motel here, the Space Age Lodge, is certainly decorated on a theme. I’m not sure it works beyond the initial amusement factor. Even the restaurant has a martian statue to greet you and the seats are covered in what I might call a spaceman silver cloth! The rooms are clean and the position pretty in that rugged Arizona way. I even got Liver, Onion’s and Bacon in the restaurant, although it was not memorable for any other reason. Our drive here yesterday was through similar scenery, large rugged mountain ranges, solitary rock formations, a suprising amount of agriculture in patches and I assume because of access to spring water. After a few hours driving however, one desert view looks like any other. Today, is what I feel, the last leg of the journey. We are staying in Barstow, California a further 6 hours from here, but only 2 hours drive from LA airport and our last stay before flying home on Tuesday evening (local time). There will definitely be more desert before here and there I am quite sure. We finally leave the Interstate 10, which we have travelled predominantly since we left Florida.

Stopped for lunch

Restaurant

Motel

Deming, United States

Fri, 24 May 2024 08:20:00 -0600

Friday 24th May. deming, New Mexico. Somebody’s got a sense of humour, driving through El Paso yesterday and idly reading roadsigns as we travelled the freeway, I notice ‘Lee Travino Drive’! Now there’s a question, Intentional? It made me smile anyway. El Paso and the passage of the I10 through the middle of the city was actually a nice distraction. The endless plains of cactus and scrub, were replaced with flyovers, huge advertising hoardings and traffic. The Mexican border could be seen to the south, dominated by a huge black fence/wall, call it what you will. To underscore the vicinity of Mexico, shortly after leaving El Paso, the entire freeway and every vehicle on it, was funnelled into one lane and into a huge sideless shed, where US Border Force officers stopped and searched as was their want. We fortunately were waved through. Maybe it was the Florida plates, who knows. We stopped for lunch at the ‘Welcome to New Mexico’ rest area. Most rest areas along this freeway are very good, with clean restrooms, covered picnic shelters and tables and dog walking facilities. This one was an exceptionally large area with dozens of picnic tables spread around the curtalige of the road and a good view over the New Mexican desert. Because of the danger of dust storms all of the sites were protected with high walls. I assume these places are maintained by the relevent state, if so, a big shout out goes to NM from me. We arrived at Demming at around 3 pm, due to the clocks retarding another hour to comply with Central Mountain Time, least thats what the roadsign told us. Deming looks a quiet and very clean place. Driving around is very laid back and it has a homely feel to it. Our Best Western Motel is also clean, modern and very picturesque in its manicured desert garden setting. Good choice I feel. Today, we make the next leg of our journey, a 5 hour drive with another hour removed from the clocks to a little place called Gila Bend Arizona, the name of the town leaves my imagination racing, but the name of the motel leaves me very inquisitive, the Best Western Space Age Lodge!

Fort Stockton, United States

Wed, 22 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

22nd May, Fort Stockton, Texas. This was a drive of two halves. The first part of the trip needed a decision, do we pass through San Antonio or Austin? I chose to go via Austin, a bad decision on reflection and only probably made to get away from the Interstate 10 for a while. Although the drive towards Austin went without a hitch, the drive through was a nightmare. Miles and miles of roadworks and the most traffic lights I think I have ever confronted. With a six hour drive ahead we really didn’t need to lose an hour at the beginning. The only upside to the route is that it passed through Fredericksburg, a pretty if not ‘twee’ city in Texas Hill Country. As the name suggests, this area was settled by German immigrants and many of the surrounding towns and communities have German names. The prime industry here is wine and farming. The secound part of our journey allowed us to make up all of the time lost, when we rejoined the I10 the speed limit lifted to 80 mph and quite frankly it was safe enough to do 100. Cars and trucks were as sparse as any sign of life on either side of the highway. I don’t know the correct name for this region, but it was made up with such places as Monahans Sandhills State Park, Carlsbad Caverns S P and Devils Sinkhole. The terrain was rugged to put it mildly. Large sandstone ranges, mesa’s and scrub like trees and bushes made up the scenery that went on for miles and miles. Infact when we joined the highway, the GPS said there were 209 miles to Fort Stockton, goodness knows how many miles of similar terrain await us tomorrow. To keep me somewhat alert throughout this drive, I imagined the Lone Ranger or the US Calvary hiding in the dusty, rocky and rugged landscape and whistled ‘She wore a yellow ribbon’ or the ‘William Tell Overture’ to bring my thoughts to some sort of fantasy realisation. We have a whole day here in Fort Sockton, my early thoughts were that of a town built in a desert, as every bit of spare ground is plant less sand, but I am sure its more than that! Fort Stockton, Texas. 23rd May Well, Fort Stockton Texas, an old frontier town/city. Hot (the temperature today forecast to hit 100f) dusty, friendly in that Texan way and miles from anywhere. However the amazing infrastructure in this country allows it to function as any other. The population is made of predominantly Hispanic (over 70%) and the industry is quarrying and farmiing cattle.. The reason the place is here at all, is due to the fort built here back in 1867, to protect wagons and cattle drives from Indian attacks on the San Antonion to El Paso trail as settlers headed west. It truly is the type of place we used to watch at the ‘pictures’ usually on Saturday mornings, cheering the US Cavalry aginst the nasty Indians. However, when I learn about one of the reasons the fort was built here, was its position by the freshwater springs (Comanche Springs), I can see another reason for the local indians being a little peeved. Nevertheless, history tells us the Indians were defeated by 1886, or at least didn’t attack settlers on their journey west. The fort is also famous for its Buffalo Soldiers, these were black (mainly ex slaves) formed into the 9th Cavalry and so called because their hair resembled the fur on a Buffalo’s neck. It really was good to wander around what is left of the original guard house, enlisted men’s barracks and muesum. There are still two kitchen blocks and officers quarters, but they were closed when we visited. Just a walk around the the site in the unwavering heat gives you a ‘little’ perspective on how hard times must have been. Having a chat to the lady in the small museum was interesting, she asked how we found the history after being brought up in the UK with so much around us. She was quite taken aback however, when I told her that our age group only learnt a certain aspect of US Western history and that was from cowboy and indian movies.Visiting places like this not only evoked those memories, but put some facts and reality to what was only entertainment. Today we resume our journey to Deming, New Mexico. I am sure there is more desert ahead, the Mexican border city of El Paso and you never know, ‘Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell (may fall) in love with a Mexican Girl’!

View from the room Fort Stockton

Guard Hose

Buffalo Soldier

Columbus, United States

Tue, 21 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

21st May Colombus, Texas I think yesterday I said we planned to to stop at Lake Charles for lunch, why I said that I have no idea. Now I sit and write this and say thank goodness it was never in the plan. Travelling through Lake Charles yesterday, was like some science fiction set. The set was one of the largest chemical storage/processing sites I have seen since my oil tanker days. This area in parts, might be quite beautiful, but the part we passed on the freeway, was a huge industrial area of cooling towers, tanks with miles and miles of pipes I profess to know little about. Anyway, we did stop for lunch at a place called Cedar Hill Park, on the banks of Lake Charlotte, only one part of an area made up of lakes, bayous, rivers and swamps before we hit the conflagration of Houston. It was a relaxing spot with picnic tables, the lake and only the company of ourselves. It really was the solitude before the angry metropolis of Houston. Houston hit us like a wall. Our first look was sitting still behind a queue of cars, trucks and roadworks. Our next experience was passing by some of the huge buildings of downtown at a breakneck speed of around 75 mph. Cars passed to the left and right of the 5 lane highway, some would change to all five of them in order to make the progress the thought they needed to make. It was every driver for themselves. The police took no notice at all of the speed and driving antics through what was a 55mph speed limit. I guess this happens everyday and as long as its moving, why worry, or so it seemed. Goodness knows what it would be like in the rush hour! This was 2.30 pm! This morning we move on to Fort Stockton (via Austin), still in Texas, yet a 6 hour drive. The reward will be a two night stay and time to look around.

Lake Charlotte

Port Allen, United States

Mon, 20 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

Port Allen, Louisiana 20th May 2024 Any sort of motoring through the USA always highlights the incredible infrastructure, both in situ and underway. After a couple of hours into our journey yesterday, we approached Mobile Alabama. The Interstate 10 became a bridge at the D’olive Bay Forever Wild Tract, it crossed the Blakeley River, Mobile Bay and didn’t hit land again until we reached the eastern suburbs of Mobile and the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, some 10 miles later. Not satisfied with that, the highway then went under the Mobile River, to re-appear in the city. I really was spellbound for that part of the journey and it isn’t new infrastructure! Unfortunately, like anywhere else in the world, no matter what the infrastructure, an accident in the middle lane, trying to cross the Mississippi over the huge Horace Wilkinson Bridge, brought traffic to a standstill. Our motel here in Port Allen is a little ‘ropey’, but we always knew it would be for $55 US. However its clean and comfortable and had some coathangers, which is more than the last had. It was good to get in the air conditioning after suffering the temperature highs of 37c anywhere away from the car. We took a detour for lunch and visited the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Park. A beautiful spot, but alas, no cranes were sighted. Today, will take us onwards and westwards, through Lafayette, Lake Charles, where we hope to stop for lunch and on through Houston, to Columbus Texas and our bed for the night. The forecast is hot again and we are just greatful that the storms and tornadoes are forcast to pass north of us.

Spanish Moss

Crane Park

Chipley, United States

Sun, 19 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

Saturday 18th May, Chipley Florida Arrived with not too much trouble. A good 5 hour drive from Tampa, two toilet breaks at Walmart Homosassa Florida and Perry Florida and stocked up with a 1.75 litre bottle of Vodka at $12.99, sold in a plastic bottle, priceless! (this is not a misprint), 12 cans of Bud (twice the price of the Vodka)! Arrived at the motel via another Walmart, because the clocks went back an hour, we couldn’t check in until 3pm. Oh , ‘the well laid plans of mice and men!’ Safety enconsed in the room at the hotel now,. Feeling like I could sleep for a week and probably will with the vodka 😂 Just fast food outlets around and about, so kicked back, with a Walmart Ranch Salad, smoked ham and a $1 loaf of bread. We know how to live! Oh, and 2 plastic glasses! Sunday 19th May Chipley Florida I think it was a pretty good nights sleep, interupted by strange dreams and the odd headlight, like a searchlight in a prison camp running across the closed curtains, as another guest pulled into the carpark for the night. Or was that the dream? Anyway, we awake for another day and heading along the ‘Pan Handle’ of north western Florida, past Pensacola, a little a bit of Alabama, through Mobile, Biloxi Mississippi and on to Louisiana and Port Alan to the west of Baton Rouge for the night. Yesterday we headed north from Tampa after an early disembarkation from the ship, picking up the car an hour early. Tampa was easy enough to navigate, as were the other highways and Walmart toilet breaks. The one thing I didn’t cater for, was the time going back one hour and making us a little early for our motel in Chipley. We had some very grey skies and rain at times, but were thankful enough to avoid the really bad weather affecting these parts at the moment. Tornadoes and torrential rain to name a couple. Really hot weather is forecast ahead and the car ( a Mazda CX30) air conditioning looks like getting a workout along the way.

Waiting for an early breakfast at Tampa

Docking Tampa

Road trip stock up

Rest Area on i10 Florida!

Cozumel, Mexico

Thu, 16 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

Cozumel Mexico Thursday 16th May 2024 If you are experiencing a bit of ‘déjà Vũ’ , yes we have already visited Cozumel, just two days since. Our scheduled visit to Costa Maya (Mexico) has been aborted because of a forecasted heavy swell, making the approach hazardous, (their explanation). We have been lucky enough so far, to avoid other cruise liners in the same port, not so on our return here. As we approach the piers, there are already 3 ships alongside, or preparing to do so and all three are bigger than ours. At a conservative calculation, there could potentially be, well over 10,000 passengers fighting for space in what is quite a small area of dockside outlets. I am ecstatic at the thought. What really rubs salt in the wounds, is my critism of our previous destinations, including this one, seems as if it might not have been justified at Costa Maya. A Google search quotes ‘The cruise port in Costa Maya has a very appealing character. The port area is neat and well maintained. On the whole, Costa Maya is very safe. The local population is very friendly but not pushy and speaks English reasonably well. For those cruising with families, there are lots of things to do. Cruise passengers with disabilities or with walking difficulties will find it easy to wander around in Costa Maya on their own.’! Bugger! My quote unfortunately! Still it is, what it is. Infact, as I write, we are berthing well away from our previous visit and nowhere near the other ships! Sorry for all of that whinging, a new adveture may await! Fingers are well and truly crossed. The visit yesterday to Belize was only accessible by tender and many, including us didn’t choose to bother (I was basing this on previous runs ashore on this trip). Ten laps of the uppermost deck, hopefully satisfied the need for some exercise, the pool deck seemed as busy as a day at sea and the sea mist didn’t lift enough for us even to get a glance at where we would have headed anyway! Friday 17th May, Just passing by Cuba. Well after all of my concerns about our return to Cozumel, it turned out to be the first time I actually felt we were seeing Mexico. Granted it is a tourist resort and nothing can disguise that, but it was more or less harassment free and nice to walk around and shop without any pressure. We were the only ship alongside, the three others some mile or so away obviously doing their own thing. Even the crew were delighted to be where we ended up. They told us that this pier was last used by this particular ship 5 months ago and it is the end of town where they like to do their shopping. A good call I felt and it turned out to be so. I really would liked to have tried the bars and restaurants, but it would have been rather silly to pay again for what was already available back on board. Today, we have a day at sea on our passage back to Tampa and disembarkation tomorrow (early). This obviously means packing, before any thoughts of visiting the bar. As Rahy our Mumbai bar waiter tells us, the turn around for them in Tampa, is hard work. All of the passengers off by 9.30 and the next 2000+ starting to embark from 11 am. Just like us, only one week ago, they will be ready to test their drinks package and unpack their cases and the cycle will start once more! For us, tomorrow will begin our journey across the US from Tampa to LA. An adventure for sure, but I can’t help wondering if I am getting too old for it!

Up on the pool deck

The old pier we visited before

The new jetty, this time.

Our latest towel

Tropica Fish

Cozumel

Belize, Belize

Wed, 15 May 2024 08:20:00 -0600

15th May 2024, Belize. I guess the most important thing to me when travelling is to see the place you’re travelling to. Okay, people do travel because of this or that experience, whether it be zip lining, diving, mountain climbing, skiing, sunbathing or whatever. Over the years we have been fortunate enough to do some of those things, but definitely not sunbathing! What I have found so unfortunate about this cruise, is that it has underlined the very things that turned me off them in the first place! Now I know this experience is not indicative, or rather I hope not, because it would be my last. We have only had two others, both of which allowed us access to the local townships and larger cities beyond should we wish. I am afraid, unless you have booked some lavish experience available by coach, or you have a fetish to sit by another pool or beach and pay for your time there, whilst looking back at the ship you have just left, in my opinion, you are wasting your time and experiencing the worst of the local population. Roatan situated on a Honduran Island, promised so much as we arrived. A hilly tropical landscape, dotted with white wooden houses with large verandas, a palm fringed road and a Honduran welcome on the quay as we berthed, but alas this where paradise ended. On disembarking, we were again in a man made tourist villiage, probably not as tacky as the day before, but pretty close. Souvenir shops, bars, a swimming pool, a DJ blasting out, I guess local pop and a few tour touts. The good news was, there was an exit to Downtown as the sign post showed it. Wow, I don’t think I was prepared for the total bombardment by, taxi drivers, tour touts and local men trying to sell themselves as guides, want them or not. I can deal with the noise, dirt, shanty houses, traffic and mayhem, thats what local life is about, but not the constant harassment in our case, by a guy who walked with us talking encyclopaediac facts and figures about Hondurus constantly into our ears. After walking for around 10 minutes and the face to face, ‘will you just leave us alone’ didn’t work, there was no choice but to walk back and we were not alone by any means. As we approached the entrance to the docks, our self appointed guide asked for some money. I thought that perhaps offering him money to clear off earlier may have worked, but there was always the danger of picking up another. I imagine you can guess he got nothing, I didn’t look around to witness what he may now be calling me, I just recalled the streets of India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and other so called third world countries we have walked and never felt threatened or harrassed as we did here. I really do blame myself for this experience, I’m obviously not as ‘Worldly Aware’ aware as I like to think I am, or I would have not embarked on this cruise in this part of the Caribbean. The saddest thing however, is that 99% of the passengers on the ship wouldn’t have a clue what it was like on the ‘other side’ (excuse the expression), other than from their coach window or taxi, should they have ventured beyond the tourist villiage alongside the ship! As we approach the anchorage off the coast of Belize, the only way ashore is by ‘tender’ so as to protect what I believe to be the largest coral reef after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The thought of meeting the same circumstances as our last two excursions, gives me little enthusiasm for this. We haven’t quite got there yet, so maybe the decision can wait a little longer.

The pier at Roatan

On the quay at Roatan

Roatan Tourist Village

Another guest in our cabin

Honduras

A selection of cakes at dinner time

Roatán, Honduras

Mon, 13 May 2024 08:20:00 -0600

14th May, Roatan, Honduras We have awoken to a slightly more choppy sea this morning. Well if I am honest, the creaking of the cabin wardrobe and the top drawer of the dressing table continually opening and shutting during the night, gave a good indication that the Caribbean was not the sheet of glass we went to bed with. When I first awoke at around midnight, the stagger to the toilet didn’t have the too much gin feeling, it was instead a juddering and shaking feeling! Certainly there was no danger of falling out of bed and thats all that really mattered. Our normal early morning walk along the pool deck to get our first cup of tea, was abandoned for a swaying bulkhead to bulkhead path, past all of the other cabins on deck 7, to arrive at the bow of the ship without incident. The sea today is a more grey/blue and the sun is struggling to pierce the hazy sky. However, very warm it still is and it looks as if improvement is on its way. There was unsurprisingly fewer at breakfast which made it all a little more civilised. Yesterday had been really beautiful and the sea at Cozumel was the deepest blue, but I am afraid it all ended there for me. If we had come for the snorkeling or diving, it woul d have been wonderful I am sure, but the end of the jetty was tacky! We had no intention of snorkeling or glass boat cruising, so like many others, we were left with the touts, souvenir shops and jewelers. I have been hassled less in Bali, but probably not so professionally. This was everything I dreaded before cruising and if this had been my first port of call on my first cruise, I don’t think I would be on here now. Seasoned as I am to this kind of thing, its water off a ducks back. Most passengers that came ashore to stretch their legs and get off the ship for a while, joined the line to get back on board after 30 minutes or so. Others paid whatever the cost, to sit on pristine beaches under a palm tree drinking margaritas, whilst being hastled from your deck chair with nowhere to go. If your life is going to office or the factory eveyday, then good on you, I make no judgement, but not for me. I think probably we are a little too spoilt where we do live. One of the waiters (Rayh, from Mumbai) did tell us, that many of the crew did go ashore here if they had time off, because the alcohol and food was cheap. Unfortunately not as cheap for us, as sitting having a few Bud’s watching the world go by. The afternoon trivia was as entertaining as ever and interpreting the Phillipino questioners accent was part of the fun. However for the question ‘Who was the first American actress to marry a reigning sovereign?’ I did get a laugh when I said, obviously too loudly, ’It certainly won’t be Mehgan Markel’!. Incidentally, it was Grace Kelly. Today we reach Roatan, Honduras. To make things more complicated, the clocks locally go back two hours, leaving the ship two hours ahead. Of coarse my phone has changed to 7.30 am, the ship now 9.30 am and my only thought is, what time does the bar open then? Cruising shouldn’t be this complicated!

Cozumel

The Spinnaker Bar!

Approaching Roatan

Cozumel, Mexico

Sun, 12 May 2024 08:20:00 -0500

At sea en route to Cozumel, Mexico Sunday 12th May. I will forever admire the organisational skills from Royal Caribbean, the company. From a first class and very functional app, through to walking in the door to your cabin, everything just flows with precision. For that very reason I should also give a rap to the hotel we have just left, the Comfort Inn Airport and Cruise Port. Again, the airport pickup and the cruise port drop off, exceptional service. I am sure all cruise ships are the same, but again I have to commend the service, the friendliness and the permenant smiles, that must be tested daily. The bar staff who seem to have photographic memories and an unflinching calmness even when under some rude and unending pressure. Not least, the cabin attendant, who always has the uncanny knack of knowing when you are not in and turns the cabin magically back to that pristine first time look by the time you return. I just wish I was as efficient this morning when I got Debbie up at the crack of dawn for that first morning cup of tea and breakfast. I do bemoan the inability to make a cup of tea in the morning in the cabin, I get why not, I just don’t like it. So we are showered and walking along the open deck in the warm Caribbean twilight a lttle before 6am. The wash glowing as it brushes the ships side, the decks a little wet underfoot from the early morning hose down. There is usually a room close to the buffet restaurant where a cup of tea or whatever could be made and we found one here. We pass the breakfast buffet entrance and note it will open at 6.30, only 20 minutes away and just enough time to enjoy the morning cuppa, with a few other (idiots), I mean early risers. As 6.30 came and went, we and a few others looked at our watches or phones wondering why the doors to the buffet remained firmly closed. The time drifted towards 7am, and more passengers questioned the tardyness of the staff. Until the penny dropped! I had a look at the RC app on my phone and noticed the ships time was approaching 6am, not 7! Everything obviously runs on ships time, they had already put the clocks back 1 hour and of coarse no one’s phone will pick it up until (well I don’t really know to be honest, but it hadn’t yet) whenever! So here we were, an hour too early. I had actually got Debbie up at 4.30, not 5.30! I did remind her that it was a beautiful morning albeit a dark one, she just looked out into the dark ocean and kept her thoughts to herself! Monday 13th May Cozumel, Mexico. I have got to admit, I wasn’t overawed with the splendor and Mexiconist (if thats a word lol) of Cozumel as we pulled alongside, whilst having breakfast this morning. Its another beautiful morning however and forecast to be another hot one. We at least arose at the correct time, although I had to change the time of the alarm on the phone at some time during the night, when it inconveniently decided to change to local time and now lines up with ships time! Yesterday was spent entirely at sea, which meant the bars didn’t take too long to fill. Lets be honest, if you’re not into aerobics, animal towel folding, scavenger hunts, swimming, incubating germs in a heated hot tub in and equally hot solarium filled with near naked white bodies, rock climbing, shopping at exorbitant prices, sun bathing, the gymnasium, the art auction or the kids karaoke, there is nothing left but the bar and another crusade, to ensure you can pass the amount you paid for your drinks package. Okay, I admittedly did reluctantly take part in the trivia in the early evening, as we happened to be sitting there when it started. We were joined by Jan, a young Canadian girl (woman, I’m obviously showing my age) who seems to think I am the font of all knoweldge with answers to questions, such as ‘Who was the English Queen a plum was named after?’ Or ‘In which country is Cardiff the capital?’ For an Englisman pretty basic stuff, but she remained (s) impressed! I think it is also amusing to listen to some of the remarks made by others, to questions like ‘Who was the 2nd President of the USA to be assinated?’ ‘Wow there’s been so many!’ or ‘I didn’t know plums had names!’ Anyway, it goes without saying, that a day at sea ensured the alcahol monetary goal was so exceeded that maybe we can take it easier today! The best people watching position I have found so far, is sitting having your first cup of tea. This is taken just outside the entrance to the breakfast buffet. Whilst sipping some English Breakfast, there is a very close up view of that kind of passenger that has to be first in, less all the food will be gone, and unfortunately they always look like the ones that really could afford missing one or two. The person I feel sorry for, is the guy who is in charge of the tea/coffee station, who becomes the font of all knowledge and the brunt of everyone’s stupidity. ‘Why is the door not open?, Why do we have to wait until 6.30. Why do I have to pass the fruit and cereal before I get to the sausage, bacon and hash browns? Why amongst the Breakfast Tea, Black Tea, Green Tea, Darjeeling, Peppermint, Rasberry and Mango Tea and of coarse decaffeinated tea, is there no Lapsang Sushong? At 6.30 the door opens, the throngs converge in an almost Wilderbeast like stampede and the little Phillopino girl, armed with a bottle of antiseptic (aka Covid days) shouts, ‘Remember, Washy Washy before Yummy Yummy’, I bet you don’t get that in the Main Dining Room!

Tampa

Leaving Tampa

The dark warm morning pool deck

A Caribbean sunrise

Entry to Cozumel

Arrived at Cozumel

Tampa, United States

Sat, 11 May 2024 08:20:00 -0400

Tampa Florida Thursday 9th May For those of you that have experienced it, you know! For those who haven’t, I hpoe you never do. Its a pretty deflated feeling, sitting at the pick up point at Tampa International, awaiting the hotel pickup, with nothing but a rucksack. The temperature is around 90f as the locals view it. We’re sitting in our ‘England clothes’ looking for a bright side to the news delivered at the luggage belt some 30 minutes ago. Sorry Sir I am afraid your baggage is still in Frankfurt! There’s no point in me asking why, or getting upset, I instead put all of my hope in the assurance our bags will be delivered to our hotel tomorrow. We were assured however that our bags were put on the plane at Heathrow, obviously not at Frankfurt however Sitting awaiting the bus, I wonder what positives we have in the rucksack, not many. The two disposable toothbrushes feel like gold dust. The 2 T-shirts stashed in the bottom some 5 or 6 years ago especially for this eventuality, now seem an asset even if they no longer fit. A universal plug also will ensure that the electrics keep charged! How lucky are you! Our driver Carlos, regaled us with tales of of other tourists misfortunes and even some of his own. The laughter was rather shallow however on our journey to the motel. The two shirts worn yesterday over 17 hours of travelling, are hanging limply from coat hangers this morning, after a good wash in the shower last night in the hope of revitalisation. The underclothes dried (more or less) on the air from the rooms air conditioning unit! The two ladies at reception this morning, in a jovial if not sweet kinda way, pointed me towards the homeless charity store a few blocks up the road, should nothing arrive today. Whilst I spent most of the night, wondering if I had the correct phone number and hotel address on the personal details the airline company had. Only time will tell. Maybe a swim in the hotel pool will relax us a bit. Oh dear, of coarse the swimming gear is in one of the suitcases! Friday 10th May Tampa Florida Okay, if the worse 24 hours of your life is being apart from your suitcases, you are probably leading a very entitled existence, but I can’t hide, it did feel like that. The call from the front desk at 9.35 last night, woke me from a deep sleep and put me into a trance now trying to find out why my phone was ringing like a ‘real phone’. What seemed like minutes later, I realised my phone was indeed the hotel room phone. I was greeted with ‘Sirrrrr, yourrrr bags have arrrrrived frrrrom the airrrrport’ in a calm and soft tone, something I couldn’t replicate with my retort, ‘Yes you beauty’! Composing myself, whilst trying to put both legs in the same hole of the only trousers I thought I owned and searching wide and far for my shoes, I somehow collected the two suitcases from the courier in the carpark. I fought the instinct to open the cases and also caught Debbie’s one open eye at the same time. I got back into bed and just contended myself with the the shadow of two black images at the bottom of the bed. At around 5am, I could resist it no longer and celebrated with being able to cut my fingernails, have a shave and clean my teeth properly in that order. Deodorant, shorts, clean (screwed up) shirts and underwear, my old ‘tat’ had never felt so precious or looked so good. Even Linda, the big black breakfast attendant (who I am still deciding if male or female) was pleased for me and asked how we would celebrate. ‘This is so great, it means I will have you with me for another day’, she cheerfully exclaimed. Yes, even that thought seemed a nice one this morning! I will certainly try and make today a little more exciting one. Yesterday was spent calling Discover Airlines, the airline involved and using the Lufthansa App, the parent company’s way of keeping in touch. Our problems stemmed from the Discover (Eurowings) flight, but under a Lufthansa flight number. The two never clearly overlapped, hence three calls to their US office and speaking to agents ranging between useless and excellent. At least we finally went to bed last night content the bags were in the US and with the courier for delivery. Today I think we will be happy with a walk around the area, which is typicaly wide roads, sidewalks and very few pedestrian crossing points. The area is littered with huge stores, banks, fast food joints, upmarket restaurants, supermarkets, lawyers, health services and motels and spread out over a vast area making everything great for reaching by car, but not so easy on foot. Still, we will have a go. The motel is very nice. It’s clean, the breakfast ‘aka’ Linda is superb and the rooms are very functional. We got a shuttle from the airport and we have one booked for tomorrow morning to the cruise port. Sometimes I feel ripped off with places and prices like this, but this is very well run and efficient, and dare I say, worth the money. Saturday 11th May. Tampa ‘Embarkation Day’ Why are we in Tampa? Because this is where we have to join the ship! Why this ship? Because it sails from the United States! Why the United States? Because we go home that way! Why a Caribbean cruise? Because thats where it was going! As you can see, there was a lot of science and research used to select this voyage. Probably the only ‘honest’ bit of research is that we wanted Royal Caribbean! Full disclosure here, we have not been on any other cruise line and many may be far better. What we do know however! These cruises allow you to dress how you like, you are never judged (although I judge many), there is much to do and the organisation and customer service is exemplary, so why change. I don’t own a suit, let alone a tuxedo, I can where flip flops to breakfast lunch and dinner, nobody gives me a sideways glance, when I ask someone to push the elevator button for me, whilst clutching two or three double gins, on the way to my cabin in the evening (well not yet anyway). I don’t need a photo taken at the bottom of the stairs, leading to the main dining room (especially in my flip flops). The bedroom steward is still a friendly and helpful guy or gal and the Captain wouldn’t want my conversation at his table nor I his. After all, I have had conversations with all manner of ships Captains over the years, most of them telling me to get my s**t together or else!

The Quality Hotel Tampa

This is the guy who keeps us safe lol

Around the burbs of Tampa

Frankfurt, Germany

Sun, 05 May 2024 08:20:00 +0200

Only for a transfer and flight to Tampa, USA

Rowlands Castle, United Kingdom

Sat, 04 May 2024 08:20:00 +0100

Frankfurt, Germany

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:50:00 +0200

It's easy to forget just how boring International flights can be. Sitting in front of the computer, working through itineraries and booking hotels can mask the reality of how awful the journey can become. A midnight flight here, an 8 hour connection there don’t seem to bad on a piece of paper. The reality however is somewhat different. The ‘good’ price you got often reflects the now abuse felt to your body and mind. Sitting and looking at the television screen on the back of the seat in front of you doesn't lie. A little plane sitting over the Persian Gulf on a map, so much information to digest and 6 hours of flying behind and 6 in front, is hardly exciting nor comforting. Not to mention the other 8 hours already travelled, the 8 hours in Singapore (albeit in a hotel room) and the next layover and the further 2 flying hours to come. I wonder if the same excitement would prevail if the harsh reality was felt in front of the computer screen. Maybe the dearer 2 hour layover, or the cost of flying directly into London wouldn't seem so expensive, if you could actually feel the fatigue and boredom now being experienced somewhere over the Middle East! The local time in Baghdad it says is 03.07 and in Tehran 04.37. I can only watch the route and the quite dramatic doglegs made to avoid imissiles or drones straying from the conflict in these parts. Ah, Cairo appears on the flight map, that's a bit more familiar I think and its close to the Mediterranean, therefore closer to Germany and our destination, for this long leg of the journey. I’m almost dreaming now of Heathrow Terminal 2. The reality however is still some 8 or so hours in the future.

Singapore, Singapore

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 16:50:00 +0000

As I write, Singapore is still just under 3 hours away and a scheduled arrival at 3.30pm. We have a room booked on the ‘Airside’ of the airport, so hopefully the 8 hours between flights will be a little more comfortable. A Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt at around midnight still holds some trepidation, but England hasn't got any closer over the years! God this has to be the best airport in the world., unless you can tell me different. Please include marks for things to do, shops, food, staff (especially staff) and signposting and terminal hopping and facilities ie swimming pool, roof garden, cinema and of coarse the Jewel Rain Vortex to name a few and all free!

Terminal train coming out of the monsoon

Beautiful Changi

Brisbane

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 04:00:00 +1000

Sunday 28th April 2024 Brisbane Airport Other than checking my hard copies of hotels, flights, car hire etc, for some obscure reason like, have I got the correct date? And then the spine falling apart scattering my itinerary on the kithchen floor, in no particular order, everything is going swimmingly! Our friend delivered us to the airport with far more courtesy than a cab (thank you Malcolm), we breezed through officialdom and are now sitting with a cup of coffee hoping the next two hours before takeoff pass quickly. People watching will help that process I am sure.