Hitting the Beach

What’s up everyone?

Today we are heading to the beach.  Not just any beach, but Tabyana Beach located on the island of Roatan.  Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras.  Located about 30 miles off the northern coast of mainland Honduras. Made from ancient coral reef that has thrusted it way 890ft (270m) out of the Caribbean Sea.  It is around 48 miles (77km) long and less than 5 miles (8km) at its widest point.  Needless to say, but you could probably see the island in its entirety in a day.  But why would you want to do that?

Roatan is located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.  The largest reef system in the Caribbean and second largest in the world.  Of course, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Due to its location it has become a hot spot for scuba diver and snorkelers.

My wife’s family have always been water people.  They like spending time on the beach and swimming in the ocean.  So on our last cruise with them, the one thing that they wanted to do as a family was go snorkeling.  Which is no big deal for most people, but to me, I am deathly scared of the water.  Give me mountains and trees and I’m happier than a pig in………well mud.  Hesitantly I went along.  7 against 1, not like I had a really had a chance.

Catching a shuttle, we headed down the road.  We head west through small and sparsely populated villages.  Seeing the modest homes and dwelling that these islander live in makes me realize just how fortunate we are for the things we have.  Many native people meekly make a living from farming and fishing.  Tourism has become a major part of the economy.  Now a days, Roatan is going through a reconstruction to modernize it cities and helping to protect its natural resources.

About a 25 minute ride from the Port of Roatan we reach the white sands of Tabyana Beach.  I say about 25 because some of their shuttle seem a little suspect to me.  At one point we were heading up a pretty good incline. Our shuttle really struggled to make it.  I was pretty sure that we were going to have to get out and push it.  Luckily we made it to our destination with no real problems.  

At the beach there is a gift shop, restroom, locker room, and a food/bar area.  The beach is lined with palm trees and lounge chairs.  On the back of the gift shop is were you pick up your snorkel gear, if you didn’t bring your own, a mask, inflatable live vest and flippers.   From here we headed to the beach, claimed a few lounger to stash our stuff.  We met up with our guide and he went over some safety precautions and a little bit of what to expect from our excursion.

At this point I was starting to get a little nervous and my stress level was rising.  Like I said I don’t like water.  I do alright if its below chest level and my feet are firmly planted, but not too far off the beach the ground drastically drops.  Luckily for me the guide had a boogie board that he used to carry stuff with him and I could cling to it.  I will tell you this.  For the guys out there.  It is best to have a cleanly shaven face.  This will give you a better seal on your mask.  If you’re like me and like the rugged look, you will get a little seepage through your whiskers.  It not a big deal, just a little heads up.

Once my nerves settled, I really started to have fun with it.  Its one thing to see fish in an aquarium, but its taken to a whole new level to actual be swimming with them in their natural environment.  I was not brave enough to let go of my life board to attempt to dive down into the water.  If you are comfortable enough to do it though, you will see all sorts of interesting things.  One of our group saw a blue lobster, or so they claim.  The guided tour last about 20 or 30 minutes and well worth the time.

After the tour the time was ours to spend however we wanted.  I spent most of my time exploring the shallows and watching the fish swim around me.  While the other went and explored other areas of the reef.  We worked our way to the end of the beach were a rock wall jutted out into the sea.  On this rock we found little crabs and even a rock iguana warming himself with the rays of the morning sun.  Life is all around us in the tropics.  All you have to do is look around and you’ll discover something new.

All in all it was a great experience for me and for those in our group.  We had a lot of fun.  I guess the moral of this is that some of the best adventures happen outside of our comfort zones.  If we are willing to look past our fear we are rewarded with treasures of untold greatness and adventure.

Thanks for stopping by.  We’ll see you under the Caribbean sun.

Until next time.

Josh

Mayan City of Tulum

City Gate

The sun rises form the East over the Caribbean Sea, casting its light upon the mighty walls of the stone city.  Men of the village arouse their children from their slumber to prepare for the day.  After finishing their bowl of saka, the men and boys gather their tool and head to the fields.  Painstakingly work the land to prepare it for the panting of their crops.  Maize, chills, tomatoes, avocados, and many more are on the menu.

Inside the walls the artisans gather their tools and make their way to their shops.  Once there they will work on their crafts.  Creating pottery, textiles, and jewelry.  For the lucky few, they would be able to prove their worth by creating wood and stone carvings for the King.

Down at the port comes a loud commotion as the dock workers prepare of the arrival of the new trading vessels.  Long hand carved canoes filled with goods, pass the fishermen casting their nets into the sea for the days catch.  What could they be bring in today?  Cotton, salt, precious stones like jade or obsidian?  Slaves from a recent conquering of a rival village?  No, nothing as sinister as that, but cocoa and exotic bird feathers.  The nobles will be happy.

El Castillo

As the sunset covers the Yucatan in darkness, the men wipe away the sweat and grime, of the day, away from the foreheads.  Happy with the days accomplishments they make their way back to their homes and families.  The family eats their supper and recount the days activities.  Telling heroic stores, of days gone by, as they tuck the children into their beds.  And await the sleep to befall them and drift into dreamland.

This could be a snapshot of a typical day in the Mayan City of Tulum.  The sound of Mayan life no longer echoes through the walls of the city.  But has been replace by the awes of thousands of tourists that pass through its gates yearly.

Tulum is a pre-Columbian Mayan port city.  It lies on Eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula looking over the Caribbean Sea.  It is located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.  About a two hour drive from Cancun.  It was one of the largest cities built by the Mayans.  It was a major trading hub in the region as it had access to both land and sea trade routes.

Temple of Frescoes

The Spanish named it Tulum after the Mayan word for wall.  Tulum was one of few Mayan city to be fortified.  It was naturally protect by a cliff on its eastern side and surrounded by a massive wall on the other sides.  When I says massive, I mean massive.  It measures about 10ft to about 16ft tall, about 16ft to around 26ft thick, and encompasses the whole city.  The wall has five gates within them.  They were not very large in size.  The one we passed through was large enough for maybe two people to walk side by side.  Easier to fend off invaders when you can control how many can make it through at a time.

Inside you are greeted by grand stone structures of the city.  The ruins are considered a open museum.  That means that you are unable to enter or climbing on them.  You can get pretty close to them though.  The three main structure are El Castillo, The Temple of Frescoes, and the Temple of the Descending God.

El Castillo was an imposing Mayan pyramid ascending up from the cliffs edge overlooking the sea below.  In its prime, it was decorated with painted stucco reliefs and columns.  Built over several phase to its height of spender.

Temple of the Wind

The Temple of Frescoes is one of Tulum’s smaller structures.  But don’t let that fool you of its importance.  Highly detailed reliefs decorate the exterior and awe inspiring paintings of their gods line the interior, which gives the temple its name.  Some say that it was also used as an observatory for the sun.

The Temple of the Descending God is a curious building.  It poorer construction has caused it of be off-kilter and give it a cartoonish look.  The temple receives it name from a

carving of a upside down winged figure above the entrance of temple.  It is debated among archeologist who this figure represents.  They do agree that it was an important figure to the people of Tulum.  For it shows up on several other structure throughout Tulum.

I have always been fascinated with ancient culture.  Most of my background has been in the studying of Greece and Rome.  So given the opportunity to see Tulum, I jumped on it.  The more I look into Meso-American culture the more intrigued I become with it.  To us they seam like a simple people, but their knowledge of math, science and astronomy were unmatched.  They accomplished great things with the basic of tools.

When given the chance to do things you enjoy, seize the day and run.

Thats all I have for you today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh

Life onboard the Liberty of the Seas.

What's up everyone?

Today we’ll be discussing what was available to us on our last cruise.  We were on Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Seas.  It’s not the biggest ship in their fleet, but it is one of the bigger ones.  Liberty is the sister ship to the Freedom of the Seas.  A lot of the activities are similar, but Freedom does have some things that the Liberty doesn’t and vice versa.  Alright lets put on our dancin’ shoes and get going.

The first day is going to be the most chaotic and probably the most stressful part of your vacation.  We like to fly in the day before boarding and then catch a shuttle to the port the next morning.  This works out great for us, especially now that our family lives in three different states.  We can get there in our own time and regroup with everyone.  You can fly in on the same day if you want.  But be warned, problems can and probably will arise.  At least in my experience.

Once you arrive at the port, they will most likely take your bags.  From this point the bags will go through security checks and you will not see them until they are delivered to your cabin.  Unfortunately, you will not be able to get in to your cabin right away and your luggage may not be delivered until late.  I suggests having a backpack or a small carry-on to drag with you.  You can put swimsuits, books, cards or whatever you need to sustain you until your cabin is ready.

Once you make your way through security, you’ll head over to the check-in desk.  Here they will get your information, have your picture taken, and receive your SeaPass Card . The SeaPass is for identification card for onboard purchases, getting on and off the ship, and your cabin key.  So very important. DON’T LOSE IT!  From there you head to the waiting area for your turn to board.

Up the gangway we go.  Make your way to Deck 4 and wonder into the interior of the ship.  Inside you will find yourself in the Promenade.  The Promenade is the center of the ship.  Here you’ll find some shops, eateries and Guest Relations.  Once on board I would take some time to walk around.  This will start to familiarize you with the ship. You’ll be an expert by the end though.

Now that we have discussed some of the fun that you have on the first day.  Lets jump into the meat and potatoes of what there is to do.

Lets get started with the pool area.  Lets face it a lot of people spend most of there time here.  The Liberty has four pools.  Including the Solarium, an all adult pool, and Splashaway Bay for the little ones.  The Liberty also has six whirlpools.  Two of them are cantilevered over the side, so you can look out over the ocean.

My favorite part of the pool area lies in the back of the boat.  Here you will find the more entertaining water sports.  The FlowRider is a wave generator for surfing.  Depending on the time of day, you have two options.  Standing or body surfing.  We spent many an hour watching our group test out there surfing ability and it almost always ended the same way.  Slamming into the drink and being flung to back of the FlowRider.  I will say we had a few people on the boat, not in our group, that where really good at it.

If that is not your cup of tea, there are several waterslides you can try.  I highly recommend trying the Tidal Wave.  You take a two-man tube down a near vertical drop that flings you up the other side and drops you blindly backwards to the splash pool below.  It was pretty intense the first time I tried it.  The initial drop takes your breath away until about three-quarters of the way down when it comes rushing back in a scream of fear and delight.  Sound crazy, I know.  When you try it you’ll understand.

There is also a rock wall, mini golf and basketball court.  I did not have a chance to try out the rock wall.  I look forward to trying it out next time, if there is a next time I guess.

If you are not into the extreme side of thing there are more relaxing things to do.  Head over to library if you want to lose yourself in the serenity of a good book.  Or round up a few good friends and head to the game lounge.  Here you find a variety of card and board games.

Of course for the ultimate relaxation, checkout their world class spa.  The spa has a variety of signature treatment.  Body wraps, scrubs, facial treatments, massages and even acupuncture are all ready and waiting for you.

One of the coolest thing to me was the Ice show.  Yes, that right an Ice show.  The Liberty has a small ice rink onboard.  Through out the cruise they give you the opportunity to skate.  During the sea days they put on a ice show with top skater from around the world.  It was quite impressive to watch them preform their tricks and skills.  It hard enough on solid ground, I can’t imagine how hard it is on an ever shifting floor.  Occasionally they would fall, but pop back up like the professional they are.  Try to catch one of the shows.  Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

As I sit here writing, I’ve come to the realization that the is still a lot of things to do onboard that I wont be able to cover.  So the last things that I will discuss will be the nightly entertainment.

In the back of the Liberty lies the Platinum Theater.  Here is were they preform their nightly shows.  The shows change daily, but you will usually have comedians, musical performances and a Broadway style shows.  On our cruise we had two shows that really stood out.  

On the Wednesday of our trip we had a rope gymnastics show.  They had ropes and fabric draped from the top of the stage were the performers would attach hoops and other things to perform with.  But the stars of the show came at the end.  A couple came out on stage and with brute strength and grace would perform incredible and amazing acrobatic moves.  It is really hard to explain it in words.  Unfortunately I was unable to get any video to share with you.  It was definitely crazy awesome, something you would pay a lot to see in Vegas.

And lastly, on the final night of our trip they put on a production of Saturday Night Fever.  I have not seen the movie, so I can’t tell you if they had left out any parts of it do to their limited time frame.  Saying that, they did a really good job with it.  The acting, singing, and dancing seemed to be on point.  Definitely fun, especially for those that grew up in that time.

Well, this has been just a glimpse into what entertainment can be found onboard the Liberty.  Like I said there is still a lot that I was unable to cover.  You’ll have to schedule a trips to find out about the rest.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh