Our boat captain took us to one side of the island first to try out our gear and allow the beginners to get some instruction. The beach and water was extremely beautiful. The snorkeling was not too good here. {This was the most beautiful island I have ever seen. It was called turtle bay I think. I was mesmerized by the absolute beauty that surrounded us here. I would go back every year if I had the chance.}
When we finally reached the other side of the island one of the guides led us out to the coral reef and the underwater grottos. The water was 12 -15 feet deep and crystal clear. The grottos were like separate rooms in the sea divided by mounds of coral which provided excellent cover for all the fish. I swam with a school of at least 200 beautiful blue fish about 6 inches long. We spotted several barracuda about 3 feet long. It was a beautiful spot, but we only had about 45 minutes on our own because we were delayed by nearly 45 minutes getting off the ship. We were not too impressed with this crew. We paid $75 each to snorkel and only had 45 minutes of quality snorkeling. The taxi ride to get there was $16 each to get there and back.
This is the trade off with excursions. It is costly and you are at their mercy to do what THEY want to do, although they do ensure you will see what you want, except it is on heir terms. When you are on your own, you take some risk, but do it cheaper and often see just as much for much longer.
After snorkeling we got ice cream, then took a short ferry ride over to a tropical island, had lunch, and swam a little in the crystal clear water. We took mental pictures and photo pictures of the beach, palm trees, white sand and clear water to try and capture the paradise-like look to hold in our minds until we could return again, hopefully in the near future. As we exited the water and walked away from the beach I said a sad "Good Bye" to a part of the earth that was once just imaginary, but now is so beautifully real, I can't imagine not seeing and experiencing it again in the future.
{Remember at the beginning I said my mom was nervous and skeptical about cruising? After we got back from the island we went up to talk to someone about scheduling another cruise for the family in the near future. The whole trip we kept saying how much fun it would be if the whole family was there. I was such a fantastic time and I was so glad to see that my mom enjoyed herself so much. I haven't seen her so relaxed and cheerful in such a long time. It was wonderful! When we parted ways with the men we were shopping on the island and told them we would be back on the ship soon and see them then. We got back on the ship in plenty of time but went straight to talk to someone about the next cruise and not back to our rooms. We lost track of time and arrived back pretty late. When we got back both my dad and Mike we worried we had gotten left behind. After Mike and I's close call yesterday they were nervous we had been left and that was why we were so late. I was surprised that those two would be the type to be so concerned and worried. It was very endearing. }
Our last dinner with our weeklong dinner group was as pleasant as ever (Don & Margaret from Toronto, Ano & Linda from Quebec, Fred & Cathy from Maine). I had my standard TWO appetizers, Salmon, sourdough roll, and a tasty dessert. Our waiters, Leonardo from the Philippines, and Stephen from India will be missed. They were outstanding. They told jokes, performed magic tricks and always went the extra mile to serve us.
After dinner we caught the tail end of a funny comedy show, then went to the Colony Club and played a music game called something like, "Finish that Lyric". Kristin and I played and I won. It was pretty fun.
We returned to our rooms and packed our bags; sad the fun week was coming to an end and we were saying goodbye to people, places, and activities we enjoyed so much. {We sure did make a multitude of cherished memories together.}
{At some point around 11:30pm mom and I remembered we hadn't had any onion rings from the cafe upstairs. They were tasty but not a good choice for my digestive system :)}
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