The Christmas Party

Christmas on board can be very difficult. We are so use to being around our family and friends for the holidays, it can be very hard to be away this time of year. The best we can do is  try to make this steel ship feel as much like home as we can. One thing that seemed to help was the entertainment department christmas party. A gathering of musicians, production, youth staff and the cast of dancers and singers for food, music and the White Elephant gift game.

The rules for the White Elephant gift game goes as follows: you can not spend more than $5 on the gift (although some went way over), Everyone grabs a random number out of a hat which accounts for every present under the tree, then you go in numeric order and you have a choice of either opening a gift under the tree OR stealing someone else's gift that they have opened. If the gift is stolen, then that person who’s gift was stolen has to open another present under the tree. A gift can not be stolen more than three times.

This game is very fun because you see what people really want and sometimes it can be very humorous. Some things include a wooden penis bottle opener, vibrating toothbrush, travel amenities kit and pickled olives. One thing that seemed to be the hottest item this year was a stuffed dog on a sled with a santa hat that moved his head up and down roboticly. The dancer who got the gift initially was so happy when she got it she sat down and hugged it and petted for most of the party. Then one of the cruise staff on her turn stole that dog away. The look on the dancers face was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen at a Christmas party ever. Later, another one of the dancers stole the dog and gave it back to her. Everyone gave out loud “awwws” because she was SO happy to get it back. However, at the VERY end of the game, another cruise staff stole it away and gave it to the cruise staff girl who stole it originally. The whole party erupted in rage! People were jumping and yelling and stamping there feet. I almost thought were were going to have a cat fight on our hands so I jumped in the air and pumped my fist yelling “Je-rry! Je-rry! Je-rry!” Eventually everything settled down but it really was a tragic end for that girl who went home with some Godiva chocolates (not a bad consultation prize really). 

I ended up with a travel mug after getting a nice travel amenities kit stolen away from me. I then traded it for some nice art prints which I plan to put up in my room. The event was fun and it brought the department together. For a bunch of young people away from home for the holidays, I think it was as good as we could get it. Happy Holidays.           -DB

Sint Maarten vs Saint Maartin

St. Maartin is a small island in the West Indies that has maybe more charm than most islands in the Caribbean. This schizophrenic island is divided into 2 parts. The south part of the island which is the Dutch side, and the North which is the French. While both are separated by a few miles of tall green mountains, the people freely commute between the sides and most of them speak both english and a caribbean dialect of french. Visiting both sides is a great way to see the differences and similarities and is a fascinating experience.

I started my day in St. Maartin by commuting to Marigot which is the main city on the french side. I brought along my friend David Juneau who had been here several times before to show me around. We got off the bus and walked into the heart of the town. It had great french type architecture but looked as if it had been hit by a half a dozen hurricanes… or possibly where old Disneyland sets go to die.The paint on the buildings was faded, cracked and peeling which added to the charm. You can walk down the street and look down an alley and find hidden cafes where locals and tourists sip on cappuccinos. David had a favorite cafe so we walked to it and stopped for some morning coffee. 

The name of the place was La Lucriere and was decorated in bright pink wooded pillars that resembled a French Barbie doll house. We went inside and got 2 coffees and shared a guava jam filled croissant. A great example of traditional french cuisine meeting local, tropical flavors. It was fresh, soft and delicious. 

On this side of the island, they use the Euro as currency as well as US dollars. David had some left over Euros from a recent trip to Europe so he paid for the coffee so he could get rid of them. The woman at the counter was very friendly and spoke French as well as english. David tried conversing with her in French but ultimately gave up and resorted to english again.  

We sat and enjoyed the coffee and then a stray cat came over to us. One thing you have to know about David is that he is obsessed with cats. So as soon as the cat came over, he quickly knelt down to pet it as well as take many, many photos. After a minute or so, a second cat came over to play with David. He was so excited about that cats it was really humous. After I thought it couldn’t get any more funny to watch, we hear from another table a little girl’s voice say “Oh look, there are KITTENS TOO!” I watched David’s head snap around and said “Oh sweet Jesus no…”. I laughed hysterically as he ran over to pet them. It was a few minutes till David got his senses back.

After the Cafe, we walked through the town and up a hill where there was a French fort named Fort Louie at the top. It was a small fort but had spectacular views from the top as it over looked Marigot and the ocean. The canons protruding from it were rusted, but still intact and the walls were old and cracked but still standing. We took some photos of the sensational views.

After walking back down from the fort, we walked to the nearby marina. there we saw more cafes/restaurants and small boats docked by them. The marina circled back and was also lined with french clothing and jewelry stores. The marina was small but charming.

We finally decided after walking through the streets for a while to hop on the bus again and take it to Philipsburg which is the main town on the Dutch side in the south. When we arrived after a 30 minute bus ride, I noticed that there were similarities to Marigot. It still had some french looking buildings and a few places with french writing but mostly it was all in English. It was also much more touristy as this was the side where the cruise ships dock. Lots of Diamond stores and jewelry vendors. Here everyone spoke english and accepted only US dollars. Philipsburg didn’t have the “pizzaz” that Marigot had but was still a nice place to visit.

Along the way we bumped into two band mates from the ship’s orchestra: Tony who played bass and Lance the drummer (who also is my cabin mate). They told us of a great shawarma place that gives you a free drink when you buy a shawarma. After spending about 45 minutes trying to find the place, we gave up met back up with Tony and Lance. At this point I was really tired from the walking and the sun  was beating down hard on us all day. I was dehydrated and was ready to blackout. I NEEDED to sit down and drink something. After twisting Tony and Lance’s arm, we got them to walk over and show us the place. 

The shawarma place was REALLY tiny and was nothing more that a 6 person bar table that was outside. I ordered the Lamb shawarma while David ordered the chicken. The Shawarma came and it was really fantastic. Just what the doctor ordered. Its meat was tender and the sauce was sweet and rich. I got my free coke with the meal and nearly drank the entire ice cold drink in a single gulp. The price was affordable and the service was excellent. We finished our meals, Tony and Lance ordered Shawarma to go, said our good byes and headed back to the ship. 

St. Maarten is a great port and has culture and charm which I find lots of islands in the Caribbean lack. Marigot is a great place to visit and relax. It has become one of my favor places to visit in the Caribbean. Philipsburg, although not as charming as Marigot, is still a cool place to hang out with its unique stores, restaurants, buildings and of course, Shwarma.         -DB

View of Marigot from Fort Louie

View of Marigot from Fort Louie

Marigot

David in front of a street mural in Marigot

Street mural in Marigot

Street mural in Marigot

Mural in Marigot

Mural in Marigot

Mural in Marigot

Keepin in cool in Philipsburg

Philipsburg mural

I've Gone to Hell... - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Ok, well not maybe the Hell you’re thinking of, but it is Hell none the less. The small town of Hell on the island of Grand Cayman is one of it’s most popular attractions. The origins of its name is much up to debate and there are several stories about each of them. Some say its the eerie way the strange rock formations glow red at sunset. Others say that King George of was hunting in the area and shot a game bird which landed in the middle of the jagged rock formations. The servant who went to retrieve it took so long that the king said “Oh Hell with it!” and thats how it got its name. I think the truth will never actually be discovered but it adds depth to the legend. 

The rock formations are actually old coral reef that had absorbed Dolomite when it dried up  and gave it its grey color. Interesting as they may, to me, it looked like one thing- a fucking tourist trap. The gift shop encourages you to buy their hot sauce and t-shirts and send post cards home to your friends so that the postage mark says “Hell” on it. I’ve found that most of the attractions on the island are tourists traps and lack real culture. That being said, as cheesy as it sounds, I still kind of like the thought of telling people “Yeah, I’ve been to Hell and back.”  -DB

The Ancient Mayan Ruins of Tulum - Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The walk to the entrance of the ruins was a blistering one. With temperatures in the triple digits, I literally felt like I was melting away into the dirt. My face was dripping down into into my shirt and causing my cloths to be completely soaked. 

The entrance was a stone wall with a short, rugged archway that looked more suitable for children than great ancestors. The Mayan people at the time were normally only about 5 foot tall so as we passed through the archway, we made sure to mind our heads. I walked through the entrance and the other side gave way to the spectacular remnants of the ancient Mayan city of Tulum.

The area was a large field that consisted of several stone buildings and temples. My guide, Juan, who was very passionate about Mayan history, gave me the history behind each building. Juan was originally born in this area and is one of the few left that can still speak the original Mayan language of this area. Needless to say, if he said something, I made it my business to listen carefully.

He pointed out first a small building on the cliff next to the ocean which in spanish is called “Templo del Viento” which translates to “House of the Wind.” This small structure was not only an observatory, but also was used as a meteorology tool. There is a small window in the building that faces the ocean. As the wind increases, the window creates a loud, piercing whistling sound.  When the sound gets to a certain loudness, it was an indicator that a tropical storm or hurricane was approaching. 

Next to the building was a smaller structure standing only about 4 feet tall with openings facing the east and another to the west. Originally archeologists thought that it was suppose to be a lighthouse to bring the sailors in by night; and this made sense since Tulum was thought to be a important fishing village. However, on June 21st 1996, one of the security guards that was monitoring the premises noticed something spectacular. At sunrise, the light from the sun gleamed into the east facing portion, and then out the west facing side which then glowed a bright crimson red. It was something so spectacular and unusual that the guard had to report it to the Archeological society and the following year, witnessed the same thing yet again. It is now believed that the structure was not a lighthouse at all but indeed one of the very first sundials ever created. Phenomena was created to indicate the summer solstice.

I followed Juan over to the next building which was called “Templo de los Frescos” This building had a great carving of a jaguars’ face depicted on the corners of the building. Originally these facades would have been brightly painted over but with time, the colors have faded almost completely. The etching can still be made out and efforts are made to try to preserve what is left.

The largest building on the whole premises and the most remarkable was “El Castillo”. This structure was a temple dedicated to the sun god. I walked over to it with sweat dripping and burning into my eyes. Looking up at the building was blinding from the sun now looking at me directly into my eyes. The awe of the building was almost enough for me to forget about the heat. 

There were several large stone stairs which lead up to the temple its self. Inside, archeologists were originally stumped on what they found. Only a few frescos and clay pots; things that seemed to simple for such a large and dazzling temple. A few years later, an archeologists suggested that they were not excavating in the right places. What he suggested and what was eventually dug up and found was a second pyramid INSIDE of El Castillo. This was an exciting discovery and after years of excavation (which they are still doing to this day), they were able to find that second pyramid.

To the left of El Castillo was a smaller, peculiar looking building that is directly connected to El Castillo. This building they have named “Templo del Dios Descendente” which translated mean “Temple of the Descending God”. This room is interesting because of the small window that faces exactly 21º West. The interesting part of that figure and its direction is that the Ramses II statue in Egypt faces the same direction as well as other famous ancient structures. It makes it a mystery how several cultures separated by continents, oceans and time periods can find something significant in that direction.

Tulum was the very first Mayan society discovered by the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century and is also the only known walled Mayan city to exist on the sea shore. Behind El Castillo is the Caribbean Ocean. You can take a small staircase down to the sand where locals still come and bring their children to play in the surf. The real estate of the ruins seemed ideal for a successful city of any time period. Its no wonder why the mexican people still come here bask in the sunny seaside of Tulum. 

The site was an exciting place to visit. To be walking in an abandoned city of such rich history and significance was enlightening. With the sun blistering onto the the top of my head, it made the experience seem like a wonderful hallucination. I look forward to exploring more ruins of the Mayans here on the Yucatan Peninsula.       -DB