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See the sights and hear the sounds...   Click here to see this video on Youtube.   A howler monkey chewing on fruit outside a house in Bermudian Landing, Belize.

Days 1, 2, & 3: The Natchez Trace, New Orleans, and the Delta

I felt as bad ordering room service as I did calling in landscapers last week. But it is some thing I could get used to. Unlike others on the ship, I am not here to pretend I am as Astor. Not interested in dress-up. I want to relax, explore history and nature, and prepare for a tough year of school.  Continue reading...

Photo Album Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.   Resting at the first sight of the Mississippi at St. Louis. Andrew and Mommy impersonate the Gateway Arch. A barge heading north, under the MLK Bridge in St. Louis. We head south. A bunch of turtles we found in a cypress swamp near Kosciusko, MS. A bayou of the Pearl River near Sandhill, MS, along the Natchez Trace. Walking down Decatur in NOLA with Andrew, looking for a bargain or two. Jackson Square, NOLA. Andrew doesn't seem too into it. The place where zydeco married the blues: Tipitina's Lounge on Decatur. And we're off. After a big cajun lunch and check-in, we head downriver. Goodbye, French Quarter. (The view is from our balcony.) A bunch of empty container ships was parked a few miles downriver from NOLA. Our cabin was very comfortable. We spent the evening listening to cicadas on the banks and looking out for pelicans. Andrew enjoying the views of the Louisiana port as we float down the Delta. It seems every hidden corner of America is home to the oil industry. Busy, noisy riverside elevators filling steamers with Midwestern grain. Another oil refinery. Sunset in the Delta. The tugboat Dee White camped out for the night along the river. A beautiful Delta sunset. We tried out the dinner after we couldn't see. Around midnight we were escorted out of the river and into the Gulf by this pilot boat. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8

Days 4 & 5: Across the Gulf and into Mayan Yucatán

Woke up earlier for breakfast and then the boat tied up at the large pier at a place the cruise lines call "Costa Maya", near the natural  old fishing village of Mahahual. The pilot boat was full of guys in fatigues calling to each other in Spanish.  Along with a few dock workers, the pier was patrolled by guards in fatigues toting an aging black lab and a couple of assault rifles.  These were veterans of the drug wars raging to the North.  Continue reading...

Photo Album Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.  We were too slow to catch a photo of the dolphins jumping through the Gulf. Nothing on the second day but relaxation and perfect views. A little post-pool room service on the balcony. I felt bad ordering it. Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico somewhere west of Cuba. Around midnight the lights of Cancún came into distant view. Eating local fruit purchased from a tope vendor in Mexico. The family at the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben. For centuries the jungle covered the Chacchoben Ruins and it remained a local secret. Strange (to me) nuts of a Mexican tree. Andrew walking the ancient, ghost-filled sidewalks of a Mayan city. Francisco explaining the significance of a hieroglyph. The trees were the only relief from the moist heat of the Yucatán. Andrew and Daddy take in the view of the jungle. The magnificent sun temple at Chacchoben, a site of past human sacrifice. The town plaza at the modern Mayan town of Chacchoben, QR. A village church in Chacchoben, QR, near the city square. A home in the Mayan village of Chacchoben. This lizard was over a foot in length and was sitting on the sidewalk at Puerto Costa Maya. Andrew figured out the best way to cool off at the pier in Costa Maya. The Norwegian Spirit, our ship, with some sad, caged dolphin in the foreground. The rocky shoreline and tide pools at the Costa Maya pier. The pier at Costa Maya made this former no-man's land an international destination. The friendly Mexican pilot boat, armed with machine guns. The lighthouse at Mahahual waved us on to the South. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8

Day 6: An adventure in the land of hustlers: Roatán Island.

As we drove into town, I was stopped at a checkpoint by a policeman and told in a language I did not truly understand, to get out of the car. I grabbed the car registration, totally in Spanish, and showed it to the cop. He winked and let me go. I was pretty close to ending up in a Honduran prison, I like to think.  More....

Photo Album Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.  We were greeted in Coxen Hole by Garifuna dancers. The town of Coxen Hole wants your money and will steal it from you if you don't give in. A pile of wild iguanas at Arch's Iguana Sanctuary near French Harbour. Andrew gives it a go feeding some of the iguanas. After a short time, word got out that the boy had some good food. A pensive iguana wonders why local Roatan people like to eat him. Arch's had some chicken wire around a small area of ocean that they filled with fish. The beautiful lobsters were at least the size of my arm. A gar-looking fish at Arch's Bay. Some blueish fish at Arch's Bay. Tarpon, about three feet long, at Arch's Bay. Andrew loved this little caged spider monkey and the monkey seemed to like Andrew too. Arch's had a few turkeys walking aorund the iguana piles. An iguana in the tree outside Arch's Farm. The road to the east of the island was rocky, dirty, and full of livestock. The ridge in the middle of Roatan affords some nice views of the Caribbean. A beach near the East End of the island. A hummingbird outside the restaurant at Paya Bay Resort. Another Paya Bay hummingbird glistening in the tropical sun. A hummingbird spreading his wings wide as he can. A little hummingbird stretching to hear our conversation inside the open window. Andrew enjoyed the tacos he had at Paya Bay, a wonderful little secret place. The Paya Bay people let us go down and use their beach after lunch. The water here was warm as a bath and the bottom was firm and sandy. Ahhhhhh!!! Roatan is a perfect mix of heaven and hell. Some of the Paya rocks were homes to tiny snails. The perfect hideaway, far from the cruise passengers, at Paya Bay Resort. Andrew considers a Caribbean swim. Trying to eat a coconut on the beach. A huge iguana guarded us at the Paya Bay beach. A crab seeks shelter under our beach chairs. This is probably what heaven is like. Some Brahman cattle wondered what we were doing so far south. (So did the cops.) The corner store. Hey, at least they have Coke. The view of the Caribbean at French Harbour. The Garifuna dancers send us off as they welcomed us. A house in Coxen Hole, hanging out the wash. The shoreline at Coxen Hole was rough and tumble. We reach our farthest point south, barely beating our record set years earlier in Puerto Rico. We round the West End of Roatan Island and head northwest toward the mainland.Everywhere we went we smuggled an exotic bottle of Coke on board. Andrew having a good time in one of the ship's pools. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8

Day 7: Mábuiga!: A natural and cultural wonderland in Belize.

Robert went up to the big ant mound a few steps away and proceeded to stomp on it until army ants came out with huge menacing heads. I tried not to crowd him so he could make his escape. He picked up one of them carefully and attached it to his shirt, pulling off the body as the mandibles clamped down.  The head stuck to the shirt. Robert told us this can be used to suture wounds.  Read more from this...

Photo Album Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.   One of the many small tropical islands off the coast of Belize. The sun rising over the Caribbean Sea near Belize City. Stopping for a bug spray break at the ruins near Rockstone Pond. The mound at Altun Ha, still covered in grass and dirt. Some flowers at Altun Ha. Belize was full of flowers and butterflies. Daddy and Andrew approach one of the large temples at Altun Ha. An ancient Yucatec face carved in the stones at Altun Ha. Altun Ha was surrounded by a wonder-full, thick Central American jungle. We found this curious site in the jungle outside Altun Ha. This pond was probably the water source for Altun Ha. I was watching for jaguars. Jaguars, and gators, and malaria! Oh, my! Andrew played peek-a-boo in the ruins. The Altun Ha sun temple rises above the jungle, but it was too hot to climb. Robert showed us the wonders of the Community Baboon Sanctuary. We found a gang of howler monkeys in the trees near a homestead in Bermudian Landing. Andrew looks on thoughtfully at the monkey gang. Not like the squirrels back home. I fed fruit to one of the howlers and got a close up view. The females and babies were more likely to greet us. The male was high up screaming in a tree. That's why they are called howler monkeys. (Hear them in my video above.) A lonely cemetery in western Belize. A hard day of exploration calls for a watermelon and milk feast back on the ship. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8

Day 8 & 9: The Quintana Roo coast and back across the Gulf.

I dropped Jess and Andy near the ferry and I raced to the car rental. The guy checked it suspiciously hoping he could find damage and thought he did. I showed him it was a dirt mark and fixed the dent with a rub from my thumb. I settled the bill and began running down the drag to meet the ferry, but not before stopping for some Pepsi.  Read more...

Photo Album Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.    A municipal pier at the bustling San Miguel de Cozumel. A modern-day ruin on the shore at San Miguel. A hot air balloon over the city of San Miguel. We took the strange local ferry to and from Cozumel Island to the Mexican mainland. Traditional dancers at the garrish tourist trap outside the Tulúm Ruins. A turtle's nest, protected by docents at the Tulúm National Park. Tulúm was home to hundreds of large iguanas, who were not interested in the tourists. The ruins at Tulúm were fantastically preserved compared to others we saw. The ruins complex was huge and required more time to enjoy than we had. A Mayan face looks out over the last ancient Mayan city: Tulúm. Ghostly ancient handprints on the walls at Tulúm. A beautiful example of the buildings one can see at Tulúm. The beach at Tulúm lived up to the hype from relatives and neighbors who had been there. Cacti near the beach at Tulúm. Looking toward the temple mount from the Tulúm beach. A moth in the grove surrounding the gates of Tulúm. We sped back to the ferry and barely made our ship's departure time. The cleaning crew made us a towel turtle to match Andrew's turtle whistle. We spent the next day crossing the Gulf. We were lucky to miss the hurricane. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8

Day 10 & 11: Back home in the good ol' U.S.A. Click on the thumbnails to see the whole photo or to see a slideshow.   I was awoken by the meandering of the ship and the smell of a big American city. We shopped the Quarter and saw this amazing brass band. (Hear them in the video.) We took the opportunity to explore the Barataria Preserve. This is a banana spider. Berries in the Barataria Preserve. Barataria is home to countless animals, but they are not easily spotted. Spanish moss hangs over the swampy Barataria. A young alligator was resting in the water beside the path through the swamp. Another Barataria lizard. They are quick and blend in well. An impressive spider web in the Barataria swamp. Usually the canal here is filled with water, but it was late in the summer. Another young alligator asleep in the overgrown swamp. This alligator was catching some sun above the water line in Barataria. Web Photo Display by VisualLightBox.com v4.8