We really should have weighed ourselves before going on this cruise! Or, maybe not...it would really be depressing. I think I (Grant) gained at least ten pounds, probably because every meal I ate two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. Everything was delicious! We had mahi mahi, salmon, halibut, cod, filet mignon, steak, great mashed potatoes, and yummy appetizers and desserts. It seems like that's all we did was eat. The server for our table was from Manila, Philippines. Tasha was able to brush up on her Tagalog. That was fun to hear.
We went with our neighbors and some of thier freinds and really had a good time getting to know each other. We learned that "cruising" is all about taking friends with you...otherwise you might run out of things to talk about. :)
Probably the best place we went was Catalina Island. The weather was so nice. That was the first time that we were able to put on our swimsuits. LA and San Diego was a little cold and foggy. Catalina has a little town called Avalon that is full of little houses. We talked to a guy on the street that let us have a tour of his house. He said that they bought their house on a "steal" 1.5 yrs ago for $300k. It's now worth $1.5 million.
As for the golfing...this shot says it all. Even though it was beautiful and great weather, my golf game wasn't on at all. It was fun to golf on the oldest course in America. This course was developed in the late 1800's. Talk about history! The course record was something like 28...which averages just over 3 shots per hole...the equivalent to birdying or eagling every hole. I definitely didn't come close to the course record.
The tandem bikes were great fun too. We rode up the streets of Avalon to the batonical gardens, but after finding out that there was a $5 fee to get in, we turned around and decided it would be more fun to coast down the mountain! And boy was it fun. It took us 30 minutes to go up and 5 minutes to get down.
One of the favorite nights was the chocolate night. Everything was carved out of fruit and dipped in chocolate...and believe me, we ate till our hearts were content!
Our favorite was the chocolate dipped strawberrys. Based on how long we were in line (at midnight) we thought they might run out of chocolate, so we just piled it on!
Ensanada was...well, as much as we could have ever imagined Mexico would be. It was full of people asking for your money: "how much you give me...how much?" was the common question. We did give in and bought a few souveniers: hammock, wooden turtle (Tasha's favorite), vanilla (they sell it cheap!!!), a little bag for Kaya, and a piggy bank (our traditional gift when we visit a new area).So the life lesson we learned is: that when you want a lot of food, getting rocked to sleep, a toilet that almost pulls you in when it flushes, sea legs, a nice tan, more food (and chocolate), and a lot of fun with friends...go on a cruise!
