In Cozumel, we went four wheeling through the jungle and saw a few Mayan ruins. We went with a really funny group, and were loving the whole experience. I even put a PYTHON around my neck. The Mexicans were sticklers about taking pictures, so we really didn't take any.
After that, we went to the most beautiful beach with hardly anyone there! For a few hours no one was there, so yes, we had our own private beach in Mexico. Awesome! We laid out, went snorkeling, drank strawberry daquiries and went canoeing. I think we were supposed to pay to use the canoe, but it was just chillin on the beach, so I asked one of the workers if we could take it out. He said yes, but to not get any water in it. Not really sure what he meant by that. So, we went out (without life jackets) and went way far out into the ocean. I even made a comment to Rich that in the United States we would be limited to canoeing around cones and we'd be given life jackets. I thought Mexico was way cooler because we could head out and explore...until our canoe tipped over. It freaked us out, but we got back in, only to find that 3 strokes later, it tipped again! We knew something wasn't right, so Rich decided to get in the water and kick from behind while I made an attempt to paddle. It ended up that our canoe was full of water in the bottom (Now I know what the guy meant by NOT getting water in it...) and it was so unstable, that it would keep tipping over. So, we were rescued by two Mexicans in canoes. Talk about ride of shame!! I felt so dumb, even though it technically wasn't our fault. The water was just slowly creeping in, and there was nothing we could have done about it!
The next day, we had a day at sea, where we spent our time sleeping in, laying out by the pool, eating great food, and going to shows. We really loved our dinners because the food was awesome, and we had great company. With all of the crazy people on the ship, we were paired with a couple our age. The girl was even a teacher too. They were wonderful people and we enjoyed getting to know them!
The next port we went to was Grand Cayman. It is such a beautiful island with the clearest water you could ever imagine. We got on a boat and traveled to the middle of the ocean to a little place called "Sting Ray City." It was so cool to be in the middle of the ocean with 3 feet deep of water and white sand under your feet, with sting rays rubbing right up against your leg. I held a sting ray and gave it a kiss. They were actually kind of cute!! We took a few pictures with our waterproof camera, so I will add them when we get those back. After Sting Ray City, we went snorkeling twice. So fun!
After the Cayman Islands, we had another day at sea, and then we were off to Jamaica! We had a really great time there as well, but it was a cloudy day and the water was soooo cold! We had perfect excursions for a cloudy day, as we went up the famous water falls (which happened to be shaded anyway) and then floated down a river in the jungle. It was so fun! Everyone gives Jamaica a bad wrap, and I see why, but we were fortunate to have a great experience there. Our tour guide was not like the typical Jamaican (he actually warned us about them) and he was really nice. At the waterfalls, we were hassled by everyone to buy stuff, and yes, I bought something for 10 dollars to get away from them (they started writing my name on something!) , but hey, overall it was great. The waterfalls were really pretty and we opted to go by ourselves and not with a tour guide. That ended up being the best way to do it. After the waterfalls, we drove through some pretty sad slums before we got to the river. Our tour guide on the river was hilarious, and everyone was so nice. No hassling at all! I think if we chose to explore the city on our own we might have hated it, but the excursions were really fun. I also loved how the island was so green and jungly- much different from Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
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