A Pirate's Life For Me

Scandinavia

2008-07-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

I am less than 24 hours away from disembarking the Sea Princess!! The taste of freedom is on my lips, but first, here’s a briefing on my final ports.

Let me start out by saying that I could never be a permanent resident of Scandinavia. There is absolutely no way that I could handle the lack of warmth and summer weather. There was very little sunshine throughout the week and I don’t think temperatures broke 60 degrees. Grey skies and rain really don’t mix well with me.

Oslo was possibly my most favorite sail away of the cruise. Sailing through the fjords was breathtaking (despite the gale force winds trying to blow me overboard!). Just imagine if all the valleys of the Rocky Mountains were full of water, that’s pretty much what sailing through the fjords feels like. Oslo as a city didn’t impress me too much, but I did visit a very interesting sculpture park. The park was created by one man, Lindevine, and he sculpted over 900 statues. They all depict the life cycle and were quite stunning and profound. I also visited the world-famous ________ (insert name which I’ve forgotten here) ski jump that was used for the Olympics and World Championships and offered beautiful views over the city.

Copenhagen was a bit of a bust for me as I was on in-port-manning and didn’t receive relief until 5:00 in the evening. I would have skirted my duties, but there were internal auditors on board and there was a fiasco the night before, so being the goody-good that I am I followed the rules. I was looking forward to the nighttime adventures since we weren’t sailing until 4:30 a.m., but unfortunately traveling in large groups can be crippling. I went with a big group (mainly dancers) to the Tivoli Gardens, but we got there and nobody could make a decision about where to eat, so they defaulted to comfort and chose the Hard Rock Café which wasn’t even in the Gardens. Basically we paid 20 USD to walk into the park and turn right back around to go somewhere I could go within 20 minutes of my house in Colorado! I ended up ditching the group and returning to the ship without any Danish adventure. I think it made me realize that friendships at sea aren’t quite the same as friendships on land.

Helsingborg was a very short day and I have to say there is not much happening for this Swedish city. The highlight for me was visiting the Sofiero Palace which was one of the Swedish Royal Family’s summer houses. I could definitely get used to living like royalty. That was pretty much the extent of excitement in Helsingborg.

I have to say this was the easiest cruise of my contract in terms of workload. We only had 2 major shows and 3 nights off…I think I was making about $100/hr…it’ll be hard to find that on land!

Thank you all for following me along this adventure and I look forward to seeing everybody on the other side!

Amsterdam

2008-07-13T15:39:00.001-07:00

I have officially set foot in Northern Europe. Today we arrived in Amsterdam and it was quite a beautiful sail in. It was the first time I’ve been through a lock. How this works is the ship goes through one gate and then they close the gate and lower the water. Once lowered the gate in front of the ship opens and we’re able to sail through the channel.

Holland is definitely a land of windmills. The amount of windmills lining the canal was staggering – they’ve obviously found answers to alternative energy. The other “green” practice that I was very proud of was the amount of bicycles in use. The city was full of bikes and all the roads had bike lanes – definitely a huge cycling culture.

We didn’t arrive in Amsterdam until 2:30 in the afternoon and I went on an organized ship tour. We went on a walk through the historical part of the city and then took a canal cruise through the ring of canals lining the city. I saw the house where Anne Frank’s family hid which was quite a surreal experience bringing that ugly part of history to life. I also visited a secret Catholic Church which were required after the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic’s weren’t allowed to build churches, but they were still allowed to practice their religion – quite weird to walk into a church that looks like a stock-house on the outside.

After the tour, I had a little over an hour to do some more exploring on my own. Of course, I went to the Red Light District – don’t worry, I didn’t purchase any services! I actually came to the conclusion that Sunday evening around 7:00 p.m. is either a very busy time for prostitutes or very dead – most all of the curtains I passed were drawn. I was actually quite surprised at the varying quality of the women. There were some absolutely gorgeous women, but then there were really old dumpy grandmothers as well. I missed all of the sex shows that a lot of the crew went to because I had to play shows – from the descriptions I think it’s a good thing I had to work!

The other interesting thing about Amsterdam is the aroma of marijuana. It’s absolutely everywhere you walk and they even sell cannabis lollipops! I didn’t partake in this either, because I want the company to pay for my flight home on Saturday. I would love to come back to Amsterdam and the Netherlands another time to do some more exploring of their culture – 4 hours just wasn’t enough!

Only 5 more days!!

Only One More Week!

2008-07-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I only have 7 days left! I am so excited to be so close to the end of my contract and going home to all my family and friends. I really can't wait to cook my own food and sleep in a bed where I can stretch out my arms without hitting anything. It's also depressing watching all my friends leave the ship. Today, my 2 Scrabble buddies left the ship, but only one more week and it'll be me.

There's not really too much more to report. I've posted new pictures throughout the blog and the one on this is from the decades disco this week. I threw together a '50's nerd outfit and it went over with great success. This week should be exciting as I'm going into Scandinavia and will visit Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Helsingborg. Hope you enjoy the pics. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I'm now 7 pounds heavier than when I left!

Neapolitan Feast

2008-07-06T15:55:00.001-07:00

My culinary life is now complete; I’ve had pizza in its birthplace of Napoli. It’s almost 8 hours since I ate and I’m still completely stuffed! I gorged myself at lunch today. I went with the photo staff and a few of the dancers and we started with 4 different antipasti. One was sort of like a calzone stuffed with 3 different types of cheeses. Another plate had mozzarella, parmigiano, another soft white cheese, mascarpone, bruschetta, tomatoes, arugala, melon and prosciutto. Then there was a fried plate that included fried rice balls, fried polenta, fried dough, fried zucchini, and some other fried thing….I ate more grease today than the past 2 years combined! The fourth plate was a seafood plate with heron, squid, anchovies, octopus, and shrimp. After this I had a pizza caprese with fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Oh, let me just say it was heaven on a plate. The crust is so thin and you have to fold the pizza over to truly experience all the goodness. My only complaint was that things seemed a bit over salted. The meal was accompanied by plenty of red wine of course.

After the feast we took a stroll to a gelateria where I had a lemon and melon gelato capped with a delicious espresso. I also stopped by at the Teatro San Carlo which was the world’s first opera house. I don’t know when I’ll return to Italy, but my stomach may quite possibly be stuffed for another month! All the grease and fried foods has left me with a bit of gas….just thought you might like to know!

I hope all you tennis fans were able to watch the men’s final at Wimbledon. It was probably the most exciting match I have ever watched and I’m happy that Nadal won. Tomorrow I’ll be in Corsica lying on what may be my last beach for a long, long time. Only 12 more days!

Happy Independence Day Frenchie!!

2008-07-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

So who would have guessed that my first Independence Day spent outside the country would be in France? I mean of all the places, France!! To be honest, it was actually a really great day and I didn’t receive a single ounce of French attitude. I enjoyed a lazy day lounging on the beach of Cannes and swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. I also took a stroll through the town and saw the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival. The French Riviera is slowly but surly winning my heart.

For the evening festivities, a fellow American, Ron, and I decorated the crew bar with red, white, and blue. I have to say for the limited supplies that we had to work with we did a bang up job of creating American Pride. We found out that there are only 14 total crew who are from the U.S. We were all in the bar later that night making ourselves heard with rousing renditions of The Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, and every other patriotic song we could think of. The expression on all the foreigner’s faces was priceless. It was pretty ironic as none of us really support or are proud about the current situation of our country, but we still felt it necessary to honor our nation.

Today I had a lovely tour through the Etruscan countryside that is around Rome. It was a lovely tour and a part of Italy that I had never been to before. We went to the Villa Lante which was built in the 1500’s and has a magnificent garden. There was an intricate water system that worked solely by gravity, no re-pumping involved, and even had a cooling system for the guest’s feet and the food. That really makes no sense, but hopefully you get somewhat of an idea.

The highlight of the tour was the lunch that was served by the largest crater lake in Europe: Lago Bolsena. It was divine. The Italians certainly know how to eat – I guess it never ceases to amaze me! For antipasti, we had bruschetta with olive and red pepper spread, fried zucchini and artichoke hearts, and of course prosciutto (yes I ate meat). We then had 2 courses of pasta. The first was in creamy mushroom sauce, and I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms, but this was magnificent – oh so creamy! The second pasta was a very basic tomato and meat sauce (I think it was veal – I know, I know) and fresh sage. For my main course I had a white fish that is actually native to the Great Lakes but has been introduced to Bolsena. It was the first fish I ever ate that was completely whole – head, eyeballs, and tail! It was rubbed with rosemary and served with fresh lemon. Simple, but divine. The contorni consisted of roasted potatoes with rosemary and a mixed salad. For desert, we had homemade hazelnut and cherry ice cream. A local white wine, Est Est Est, was accompanied with the meal and we began with a glass of prosecco. Coffee on the terrace overlooking the lake capped a perfect Italian meal. Mmmmm…

I am now exhausted as I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep from the late 4th partying and early touring. Tomorrow I will finally bite into my first pizza in Naples…happy eating!

The Iron Fist

2008-07-03T09:49:00.001-07:00

We have a new PSD (Passenger Services Director) who is basically just one below the Captain and she is wreaking havoc throughout the ship. She is power hungry and follows company policy religiously. If any of you have read Harry Potter, she has to be the incarnation of Dolores Umbridge. I’m so glad that I only have 2 more weeks of ship life! Just to give you an idea of how she is functioning we have these affirmation cards that are suppose to bolster our customer service and they change every day. Today’s card is “Be Polite”. The PSD is randomly checking crew members to make sure they’re carrying their card on their person at all times and if they aren’t she is taking their name down and reporting them to their supervisors. I fell victim to her antics for playing Scrabble. Two other band members and I were playing Scrabble in a passenger area and apparently she received a complaint from a passenger and reamed our supervisor for our misconduct. Luckily all the managers think she’s nuts and aren’t really enforcing all her policies. For all the things to get in trouble for, playing Scrabble has to be one of the lamest! She is also measuring name badges to make sure they are exactly an inch away from each other.

Anyway, the other reason I think it’s time for me to leave the ship is because all my dreams this past week have been about home. I finally saw a whale yesterday swimming next to the ship. It was very large and black and spraying water out its blow hole. Nothing else to report for now, except my count down to disembarkation is in full swing!

Stonehenge

2008-06-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

I went to Stonehenge yesterday. What a surreal experience. There’s such a powerful and mystical aura surrounding the site and I couldn’t stop taking pictures! The downfall is that there are thousands of tourists and trying to get shots without random people in them proved to be challenging. It’s amazing that the stones that weigh over 50 tons were moved from Wales which is I think over 160 miles away in 500 BC. We still have no clue as to how they got there, what the function of the site was, or who built it. There are tons of theories including Merlin, the Devil, and aliens. One thing is for sure that it was not the Druids as was thought for most of history. I think the most plausible explanation is that the stones served as an astronomical calendar. During the different parts of the year the sun rises (or sets – I forget) in a different arch of the henge, so you can tell what month it is. The burial mounds that speckle the nearby fields are also quite baffling; there are over 300 within a 3 mile radius….makes you wonder. I also went to the site of Old Sarum which had ruins from a huge castle and cathedral that were built in 1200. The hill even had a moat – I felt like I was transported back to the Medieval times bearing messages from the sea. Oh the other interesting thing at Stonehenge was that at noon a group of people dressed in Medieval costumes carrying great big flags came to the site and went into the circle and performed some sort of ritual – not really sure what they were doing though. I’ll try to post pictures when I have high speed internet. Less than 3 weeks and I’ll be home!

Oh, on a sad note, my roommate, Dave, left the ship yesterday so I have a new roommate who has done nothing but sleep today…I’m really ready to be done with the sharing of personal space!

More Fun in the Sun

2008-06-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Beach time and partying continue to consume my days at sea! Sunday we were in Civitavecchia which is the port to Rome and I had a wonderful pizza with red wine and spent the afternoon lying on the beach with a Kiwi friend who leaves at the end of this cruise. I finished the day with a strawberry and green apple gelato and then had an exciting night at the deck party. The crew club hosted another party in the open air which is always refreshing to get out of the smoky crew bar. It was a fundraiser for the Walk for the Cure and I won a free hair cut and style at the spa. The Caribbean Deck band provided the music and I danced the night away again. We continued the party until 4:00 a.m. and I had the surreal experience of free styling (beat boxing and rapping) with 2 Russians, 1 British, and 1 Serbian – quite the international mix!

Monday was spent in beautiful Alghero, Sardegna, which remains one of my favorite places on the planet. The water there was incredible. Crystal clear and the warmest water yet! I had another gelato as well – nocciola and pistachio. I actually took a night off and went to bed at a reasonable hour – 1:30.

Today we had a half day in Mallorca and I walked around the old historic town and then spent the rest of the day on deck sun bathing. My Italian blood is doing me proud as my skin never knew it could get this bronzed!

Yoga and Partying

2008-06-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the lack of postings this week, but for some reason I’ve become quite the social butterfly this cruise. I think maybe it had something to do with the close quarters we all had to share during code red, which I am happy to report ended on Tuesday in Cadiz.

Monday night we had our first Entertainment Department corridor party in the dancer’s hallway and partied until 5:00 a.m. – you have to create your own nightlife when stuck on a small floating village. I spent another beautiful day at the beach in Cadiz with some dancers and band members. The water is warming up quite nicely and the weather has been extremely hot and humid this past week.

The other activity I’ve started is Yoga. Caitlyn, one of the dancers, has started teaching a class about 5 days a week and I can’t believe how intense it can be. My body was numb after my second class, so hopefully I’ll do better after the third class today. I have noticed that it really helps my playing by opening my chest up. Oh, the added bonus is taking the class with 5 gorgeous dancers!

Wednesday night, the Entertainment Department hosted a Black and White themed disco party which was quite the bash. Those of you who have seen me dance before can imagine how much I tore up the floor! Let me just say there was also some “worm” action happening. That was another early morning as I wasn’t in bed until 4:00 a.m.

Thursday night saw a break in the action and a bit of recovery time, but I did have quite a feast with my roommate, David. He found the most delicious olives I have ever tasted in Cadiz. He’s a very big olive connoisseur and has introduced me to several different varieties, including a Majorcan bitter. The Cadiz ones are heavenly – there’s absolutely no way to have a better olive – they’re so silky and buttery – it’s incredible! We also had Boursan (sp?) cheese and crackers and I found a very delicious dark chocolate with pepperoncino in Italy – mmmmmm.

So that brings me to last night (Friday). I partied once again until 4:00 a.m. and am now nursing my hangover and preparing to go lay in the sun. I feel bad that all my social activities are interfering with my daytime port time, but we’re in Italy today and I’ve been there done that – what an audacious statement! Sorry, I’m digressing and losing my focus. I’ll leave you with another affirmation that I read in my introspective book:

“Self-creation entails imagining ourself in other ways. Instead of thinking of ourself as a fixed nugget in a shifting current of mental and physical processes, we might consider ourself as a narrative that transforms these processes into an unfolding story.”

Code Red

2008-06-13T01:18:00.001-07:00

So what is code red? Well, it means that there have been a considerable number of Norwalk Virus (the nasty gastrointestinal virus that received lots of media coverage a few years ago) cases that have infiltrated the ship, and to protect us from the passengers we are not allowed to go into the passenger areas. Basically, the crew is trapped on the crew deck unless we’re working. This means I can’t eat in the normal passenger areas and have to suffer the questionable crew mess and I also can’t go to the gym. I think I’m in danger of losing the 6 pounds I gained! Rumor has it that we’ll be on code red until Cadiz which is this coming Tuesday – 4 more days….ugh.

Enchanting Corsica

2008-06-10T05:48:00.001-07:00

I’m still ready to retire on the island of Corsica. Oh, what a beautiful day I had yesterday! All it involved was lying on a pristine, soft sandy beach and swimming in the refreshing Mediterranean Sea, but that’s all I really need to be content. It was truly a gorgeous day…enough said!

I’ve started reading “Buddhism Without Beliefs” and the following is a passage that caught my attention:

We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world.
– Marcel Proust

Napoli, Bella Napoli

2008-06-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I can finally say I have been to Naples. I don’t how many times I’ve been to the train station of Naples without actually exploring the city. My main reason was that I always had luggage with me and have been warned numerous times about guarding my belongings.

So this morning I left all my valuables (including my camera) on board and walked all throughout the city. I was fortunate to get my morning IPM covered, otherwise I would have been stuck on the boat the entire day.

Anyway, as I was strolling through the streets of Naples with clothes drying on lines outside all the buildings that look as though they’ll crumble any moment, three words came to mind to describe the city: vibrant, pulsing, gritty. And this was a Sunday morning! Nowhere near as chaotic as a weekday would be. I found an open air market that was more noisy and disorienting than the Grand Bazaar in Turkey! Everyone was shouting and pushing every which way performing a perfect dance of anarchy. It’s amazing how thuggish and tough the people look and all the old men look as though they could be Don Corleone – I don’t like to perpetuate stereotypes, but there are definitely signs of organized crime, even more so than Sicily. One good thing is that the trash crisis seems to have been solved, as I saw not a single piece of garbage on the streets.

I wondered to Spaccanapoli (I think that’s the right spelling) and had the most delicious coffee and sfogliatella of my life. I think sfogliatelle have become my favorite pastry in the world. For anybody who has never had the pleasure of trying one, I’ll try to do my best to describe it. I’d say the closest neighbor is a croissant, but it’s really nothing like it. The crust is flaky, but also very crisp and greasy. Inside is a mixture of sweet cream, ricotta cheese and just a hint of orange zest. Mmmm….delicious. Italians claim that the coffee in Naples is the best in all of the country due to something in the water. Nobody quite knows what it is, but I will certainly vouch that it is the best I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, my first Neapolitan pizza will have to wait until my next visit.

Naples is truly a welcome assault of all the senses.

On a side note, you’ll all be happy to know that I have gained 6 pounds since the beginning of my contract. I guess all my time in the gym is paying off.

Le Jetset de Cannes

2008-06-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

I had a marvelous afternoon in Cannes, France today. It was a beautiful and sunny day - perfect for the beach! I went to soak in some sun with my roommate, Dave, and the piano player, Ron. I also had a very nice swim in the Mediterranean, although it was extremely frigid! So the French are famous for their topless bathing, and there was plenty of it, but one couple took public displays of affection to an extreme today. They actually copulated in the water where everyone on the beach could see - tre risque!

After the afternoon on the beach, we went to a creperrie (sp?) for crepes with strawberry jam and coffee. The French certainly know their crepes! The amount of yachts that were in the harbor was quite ridiculous. I can't ever imagine owning something so posh and having the jetset lifestyle. I also saw the building where the Cannes Film Festival takes place - too bad I missed it by just a few weeks. Tomorrow I'll be back in Roma!

Oh, we've had a ridiculously light work load the past week with 2 nights off. I'm really starting to feel like I'm on vacation and becoming quite a Scrabble champion. Hope everyone is well!

Portugal

2008-06-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

I visited some lovely villages in Portugal yesterday. One was the seaside village of Cascais. It’s most interesting claim to fame was the amount of German and American spies that stayed there during WWII. Portugal remained neutral throughout the war yet booked all the hotel rooms to spies. And it just so happens that Ian Fleming was staying at one of the hotels during this time and inspired his creation of 007.

On the way to Cacais we also passed by the fort where the Portuguese dictator, Salazar, died by falling off a chair. I didn’t realize Portugal was under a dictator for so long, but apparently the Spanish wanted to borrow the chair for Franco to sit on (the tour guide had a great sense of humor!). After Cascais we went to the mountain resort, Sintra. It was a quaint little village with an interesting castle that had 2 chimney stacks. I sampled a few of the local pastries. One was called a Quesada which consists of sweet cheese with a little cinnamon in a little crust – quite tasty. I also had a custard pastry that was basically like crème brule in a pie crust – yum!! Afterwards I tried some Port which was delicious and wanted to buy a bottle, but they would only sell the one bottle I wanted in a package with another bottle. So instead of getting a “partial” sale from me, they lost all of my business. The guide said Portugal remains about 70 years behind the rest of the world, so I guess they’re not up to speed with sales yet.

Speaking of being behind, the guide also told us about a local village that until a few years ago had an interesting wedding tradition. The villagers would only marry within the village and the groom was allowed one night with the bride to decide if he wanted to keep her. If he didn’t like her after the first night, he could simply bring her back to her parents the next morning. Of course no longer being a virgin, her chances of getting married again were completely eliminated. Another Portuguese tradition is their belief that roosters bring good luck. They have ceramic roosters everywhere, and according to the guide, “the larger the cock, the luckier you’ll be”.

The French fisherman are still striking over fuel costs and more European countries are joining in, so we’re still waiting to see if we’ll be able to dock in Cannes. If the Italian fisherman shut down the docks, I could be floating at sea for quite some time.

My new cabin situation has vastly improved my life on the ship. It’s amazing how a normal roommate who actually speaks and has social norms will change the entire atmosphere of the ship. Anyway, I’ll close the random post now as I’m suffering a bit from last night’s festivities!

Attitude Adjustment

2008-05-31T05:21:00.001-07:00

I had a profound realization this afternoon as we were sailing into St. Peter Port, Guernsey. It was an overcast day with a light mist cloaking the Canary Islands. A flock of birds flew by a sail boat on its way to an archipelago. The cool sea breeze kissed my cheeks as I breathed in the fresh sea air and I was completely immersed in the moment.

It was then that I realized how lucky I am and how petty my attitude has been lately. Here I was discovering yet another beautiful place on the planet that 24 hours before I had never really known existed. The experience of discovery that I am being offered is incredible. I am going to try to remember this as I groan at the “groundhog” day nature of life at sea and the musical acts that aren’t exactly rewarding.

So you may be wondering St. Peter Port, Guernsey? Why on earth is Nick there? Apparently the striking French mariners have affected all of the ports in France, including Brest. Yesterday another cruise ship docked there the passengers weren’t allowed to get off the ship. Fearing the same thing would happen to us, the captain changed course for the Canary Islands.

Bilbao was a beautiful city. The countryside has gorgeous rolling green hills and lush vegetation. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go inside the Guggenheim Museum, but the building itself is remarkable. I think it is hands down the most interesting architecture I have ever seen. I also had the most delicious white wine in my life. I usually am not much of a fan of white wine, but this was incredible. It was so smooth and not too dry or not too sweet – perfection in a bottle! I can’t remember the name, but will find out from my Basque friend, so hopefully I can find it at one of the other Spanish ports.

Remember to live for the moment! (I’m actually posting this a day later than it was written – just so you’re not too confused!)

Change of Plans

2008-05-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

We have a slight change in our itinerary due to some unhappy French mariners. We were originally scheduled to dock in La Rochelle, France on Thursday, but due to the strike the port is closed and thus we are unable to dock. Instead of La Rochelle, we’ll be going to Bilbao, Spain which is in the northern Basque country – hopefully Thursday will be terrorist attack free! We are still able to go to Brest, France on Friday because that is a military port.

I’m actually excited about the change in itinerary because of the Guggenheim Museum that is in Bilbao. It is suppose to have one of the most impressive collections of modern art in the entire world. The building was designed by Frank Geehry (?) who I think may have possibly done the new wing of the Denver Art Museum, but I can’t remember if that is the case – if anybody can verify or correct my information that would be great. I feel slightly embarrassed that I can’t recall the famous architect’s name since there are a few architects in the family – sorry Uncle Bob and Oscar!

I spent my day Tuesday walking the streets of Lisbon. The city is situated on 7 hills (just like Rome) and is located on a seismic fault line which has caused quite a bit of destruction throughout history. There is only one district that survived the devastating earthquake in the 18th Century – the Alfhama. It still retains many of the Arabic influence in the building and street design. Lisbon was once a great maritime center and Portugal had quite a large nautical Empire. The aforementioned earthquake pretty much caused the Empire to crumble. I can’t quite recall the exact numbers, but it was something like 60,000 people out of a population of 230,000 perished that day.

Of course it was raining and cold yet again, but did end up clearing up in the afternoon. Rain is supposedly incredibly rare for Lisbon and they usually have 340 day of sunshine a year and because of the lighting in the city many filmmakers use the city as a backdrop. I guess you can’t really trust any weather patterns as our world climate has been completely altered.

One of the unique features of Lisbon are the British Tram cars that carry passengers around the city. They look very much like the trams in San Francisco and can be very helpful in navigating all the steep hills.

I think that’s all the excitement for now. Oh wait, there’s one other thing. I’m going to be switching rooms on Saturday. I’ll be moving in with my radical bass playing friend.

Rain

2008-05-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA this past week, but the weather has been getting me down. It's been very rainy and cold - I miss the Colorado sunshine. My day in Algerho, Sardinia was absolutely miserable. I went on a cruise of the bay and was suppose to go to a beach, but the weather would not allow it. Instead I got soaking wet tendering from the ship to the shore. Palma, Mallorca was nice, but we were only there for 4 hours in the morning. We did have sunshine that day, but not enough time. I returned to Gibraltar and visited the apes again. Other than that, I've been biding my time at sea. A few of the musicians have started playing Scrabble during our sea days, so that has helped pass the time. 8 more weeks, which is really only 4 cruises - the end is in sight!

Livorno

2008-05-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jaime for spending 8 hours on a train yesterday to come spend the day in Livorno with me!!! It was great to yet again see a familiar face from Colorado and a different face from the ship life. We had wonderful pastries, coffee, pizza, and gelato. She's also trying to convince me to move back to Italy...ci vediamo...

The Other Side of the Tracks

2008-05-16T15:03:00.001-07:00

I discovered how the other people live today and am pretty sure I’ll never feel comfortable around them. I’ve never seen so many Ferraris, Porsche, or Mercedes in my life. I mean even the taxis were Audis, BMW, and Mercedes!! The place I’m speaking of is Monte Carlo, Monaco.

I visited Old Monaco in the morning and went to the Cathedral where all of the royalty are buried, including Princess Grace. I didn’t realize before today that Princess Grace was Grace Kelly – apparently Prince Ranier met her at the 6th Cannes Film Festival and they married after that – you probably all knew that though! I also visited the Royal Palace which is still in use and it was quite spectacular. The reception room and throne room were most impressive. I tried to picture myself being invited for tea or even living in the palace. The throne room was used in November of 2005 when the new Prince was crowned (I forgot his name).

Next week is the famous Grand Prix of Monaco and the city was already in full gear preparing for the events. The grand stands were set up and the track was marked off which made walking around the city (I guess I should say country – 2nd smallest to Vatican City) quite difficult, but very interesting to see all the preparation. Unfortunately I won’t be back next week for the race and I’m also missing the Cannes Film Festival! It started a few days ago and we don’t return until June – oh, well maybe I’ll still see some rich and famous.

After Old Monaco, I wandered over to the famous Monaco Casino and that was where all the nice cars and designer shops were. Definitely not in my budget!

Time for some much needed sleep!

Evacuations and Conspiracies

2008-05-14T05:17:00.001-07:00

My confidence in the ship’s emergency evacuation plan has been a bit shaken. We had a drill yesterday where we evacuated to a lifeboat that holds 150 people. The lifeboat is covered and rather small with little ventilation – a claustrophobic nightmare! One of the dancers couldn’t handle it and broke down crying and had to get out of the boat. I figured if anything happened to the lifeboat my best bet would be to hold my breath and wait for all the other people’s panic to subside before swimming through the small porthole directly above me. It took just about an hour for the crew to fill the boat and we fell 6 short of cramming 150 bodies into the boat – I guess those 6 would be s.o.l. in real life. The evacuation is supposed to only take a half hour and that would be with overweight, elderly passengers with limited mobility. The lesson of the drill: pray there isn’t an emergency or learn how to launch a life raft!

After the drill, I spent the day wandering around the port of Cadiz in Andalucia, Spain. It is a very nice city with a beautiful park and wonderful beach. I spent most of my day at the beach soaking up some Mediterranean (even though I was technically still in the Atlantic) sunshine – my first beach time since the Caribbean! I didn’t swim due to a brisk breeze and chilly water.

The bass player shared another one of his radical documentaries with me last night. The documentary is entitled “Loose Change” and is all about a conspiracy theory behind 9/11. I have to admit that it was fairly convincing and raised questions that I had never considered. I won’t go into details here, but if you can get your hands on a copy of it (supposedly it is illegal and considered a form of domestic terrorism), I recommend you check it out. I’m going to return home a crazy and radical revolutionary! Next up are lectures on the conspiracy theory behind the J.F.K. assassination.

(P.S. I learned a disturbing fact that my ship consumes 65,000 gallons of fuel per day!! Not exactly sustainable living!)

Apes and Refugees

2008-05-08T02:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the day in Gibraltar yesterday. What a fascinating place with so much history! I took a walking tour of the rock and my guide, Karen, was fantastic. She knew Gibraltar inside and out. Gibraltar is still a British owned territory and they use the pound (much to my wallets dismay!). The country is only 2 square miles and in that area live 128,000 people making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. I didn’t really feel like there was much congestion and people surrounding me though.

The rock has a very significant strategic positioning as it is the entrance into the Mediterranean Sea. One theory behind the rocks creations is that Hercules erected 2 pillars, the rock, and a mountain in Morocco (I can’t remember the name) to mark the end of the world. Of course back then it was believed the Earth was flat and if you sailed between these 2 pillars you would surely fall off and never be seen again. Columbus was actually the first one to try his luck. The scientific explanation is plate tectonics. The Arabs are believed to be the first people to inhabit the rock and it is also believed that they are the ones who brought the Barbary Apes to the rock. There is a colony of about 250 wild tailless apes that call the Rock of Gibraltar their home. They are incredible animals. If you have plastic bags or even regular bags they will try to open them up in search of candies or sweets. They’re also very photogenic and act like little kids.

I digress. Gibraltar is basically the southernmost tip of Spain and once belonged to Spain, but the British have been in control for just a little over 300 years. Franco shut down the border to Spain several times in the 60’s and 70’s and it’s been a very contentious political fight over Gibraltar. It is rumored that as long as the apes stay on the rock it will remain under British control. I’m going to stop with the historical information now, because I’m already forgetting all that the guide told us and don’t want to give anybody false information.

Inside the rock is St. Michael’s cave which has beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. There is even a stage inside the cave where they put on productions. During WWII, a hospital barracks was built in the cave, but never needed. There is also an extensive tunnel system within the rock and around 30,000 troops could survive within the rock for at least 2 years without seeing the sun.

I walked to Europa Point which is a lighthouse at the southernmost point of Europe. From there I was able to see Morocco; I think it’s neat that I can now say I’ve seen Africa – I think Australia and Antarctica maybe the only continents I haven’t seen now.

Speaking of Africa, we had an interesting event happen on Tuesday evening. Around 8:00 the captain made the “man over board” announcement. The alarm was sounded because there was a small row boat that was in distress. The captain decided to help them out and it turns out that they were rowing from Algeria and seeking political asylum. The captain brought them on board and planned to hand them over to the Gibraltan authorities, but they wouldn’t take them. We now have refugees sailing with us until we reach Southampton, and from there I have no idea what will happen to them. I thought this stuff only happened in the movies! I’m going to end my ramblings now as I’m struggling to write coherently…the brain just doesn’t seem to be working!

Corsica

2008-05-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I think Grand Turk has fallen to number 2 on my favorite islands list. Yesterday I discovered the beauty of Corsica. It used to be rumored that French sailors could always tell when they were approaching Corsica because of the wonderful aromas from all the flowers - a much different odor from the stench of Marseille. It’s remarkable how wonderful the island smells – almost like God took a large bottle of perfume and sprayed the island with a delicate layer of ‘eau du toilette’!

Apart from the fragrances of Corsica, the countryside is remarkably rugged. It was the closest to Colorado I’ve felt since my journey began. The mountains were still snow-capped and actually are an extension of the Alps. There were large jagged peaks with lush green vegetation. I took a tour to the Prunelli Gorges and Lake Tolla which had picturesque villages lining the coast. Apparently May is the best time to visit Corsica as the flowers are in bloom and the summer heat and congestion are waiting in the wings. I also saw goats on the rocky cliffs, cows crossing the road, and horses galloping in the pastures. A very idyllic site to behold! I can’t quite figure out why Napoleon was so eager to leave his birthplace and conquer the world – I guess that’s the difference between men seeking power and men seeking happiness. I would be more than content to call Corsica my home. The only problem….I need to learn how to speak French!

Rome to Vesuvius

2008-05-04T15:04:00.001-07:00

Rome never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been to the city enough times now that I actually have “old haunts” and am able to navigate my way around without a map! However, I still find something new every time I visit. My goal yesterday was to visit the Galleria Borghese, but unfortunately they were sold out until Thursday. I think yesterday was the busiest I’ve seen Rome – tourist season is already in full swing I suppose. Anyway, I wasn’t too upset about missing the galleria because along the way I found a beautiful park with wonderful views of the city. I visited my favorite pizza place at Campo dei Fiori and had four different gelati – nocciole, cocco, limon, e mango…mmmm. I think my Italian must be improving as this was the first visit where everybody I spoke with responded to me in Italian. Usually the city dwellers would respond to me in English, but not this time – maybe it has something to do with my Caribbean tan!

Today I hiked to the top of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano. It was incredible and steam was still coming out of the rocks. There were some of the strongest wind gusts I’ve ever experienced and a few times it felt like I might fly away. Luckily, as a good Coloradan, I brought a jacket with me as I know how the elements on top of a mountain can be, but a lot of the British passengers were not as smart. I’m not sure how they survived in short sleeves and shorts. After Vesuvius we went to Pompeii to see the devastation that the volcano can cause. It was nice to be back in Pompeii and see more of the site than my last visit. I missed the “red light district” on my first trip, but today toured a “happy house” (as our guide put it) from 79 a.d. The brothel had 6 small rooms with beds and very erotic frescoes over the entrances. It was hidden from the main street and they even had a phallus that pointed the way from the main square. Another detail I missed on my first visit were the grooves in the road worn down by the chariots. As I was walking through the city it struck me that Rome and most of our cities are still planned in the same way. We have a main square or downtown, shopping districts or malls, bars/restaurants, and residential areas. I also wondered if in 2000 years (assuming the earth still exists) people would be marveling at our culture and traipsing through a buried city. I capped my day off with a pistachio gelato – just want to make sure you keep track of all my culinary delights!

May Day

2008-05-02T02:45:00.001-07:00

I am in Cannes, France today, but stuck on the ship with in port manning duties. I have to say I’ve been a bit perturbed by my work schedule since arriving in Europe. I had a tour all lined up in Lisbon, Portugal, but had to cancel because of a rehearsal. The rehearsal was scheduled for noon and we were only in port until 1:30 – why not wait until we’re at sea with nothing to do?!!! Anyway, I guess I should try to remember that I am here working and not on vacation.

Yesterday I spent the day in Barcelona. I went around with Sergio and J again and didn’t find the city as amazing as everybody says it is. Maybe it was hyped up too much or maybe it was because it was a holiday and most of the stores were closed. We went to La Rambla which is a major pedestrian street with street performers and shops – reminded me of a super-sized version of Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. We also went to La Segrada Familia which is the cathedral started by Gaudi back in 1882 and still remains unfinished. It has to be the most eccentric and unique design for a cathedral that I have ever seen. Gaudi borrowed many elements from nature and it almost looks like a mud-drip sand castle. After this we had paella at a restaurant on La Rambla. I had a paella mixta which had vegetables, mussels, clams, shrimp, squid, and chicken. It was very good, but I still can’t seem to get over the texture of squid and octopus – maybe someday my taste buds will adapt! Sergio also ordered another expensive bottle of wine – I really need to stop dining with him as I’ve easily been spending over $50 for my meals – completely goes against my frugal nature! I also had a nice helado, but it left me pining for gelato. Alas, the wait is not long, as tomorrow I’ll be in Roma stuffing my face with all the gelato that I can handle!

Vigo

2008-04-28T07:43:00.001-07:00

Ah Europe! Che meravigliosa! I had a wonderful day in Vigo, Spain. The city was remarkably similar to many Italian cities I have been to. There is a main road with lots of shopping and lots of churches and an old fortress. There are also beautiful fountains and sculptures lining the streets and accentuating the unique Spanish architecture. So much culture that we lack in the U.S.!

I spent the day with Sergio, piano player from Chile who now lives in Quebec, and J, trombone player from L.A. We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that a local suggested. Fortunately Sergio speaks Spanish and was able to get us inside more of the local Vigo rather than just the tourist traps. For lunch, I had a delicious vegetable soup with cabbage and cannelloni beans…the broth was exquisite and was served with a hot loaf of bread straight from the oven. For my main course I had grilled sword fish with a roasted red pepper, roasted tomato, and potato with fresh lemon. Best sword fish I have ever tasted! Oh the flavor combination with the red pepper was simply wonderful. As I told Sergio in Italian, “Siamo arrivati!” – We’ve arrived! The best part of the meal had to have been the wine. We tried a local wine from the region of Galicia (which is where Vigo is) and it was excellent. I think it was called Torres, but I’ve already forgotten – Sergio bought a bottle so I’ll have to double check. It had the best finish of any wine I have ever tried – smooth with hints of vanilla and toasted nuts. We made it back on the ship just in time as the gangway was being prepared for sail away. I don’t think I’d be too upset to be left behind in such a beautiful city though. I can’t wait for Barcelona as I’ve heard it’s 10 times better!

Hasta luego!

Ciao Europa!

2008-04-27T03:44:00.001-07:00

I arrived safely to Southampton yesterday and today is another day at sea….groan. We’re on our way to Vigo, Spain and should arrive on Monday morning. I’ve also returned to my shared cabin which is a big bummer – it was really nice to have my own space.

I had a very nice day in Southampton. The weather was beautiful. It was 72 – so far, their warmest day of the year! I met up with one of my friend’s mom, Val, who just so happened to be visiting her relatives in the neighboring town of Portsmouth. We walked along the old wall that was built to protect the city from French invaders during the 100 years war and also walked down the pier from where the Mayflower sailed to the Americas. There was a celebration happening for the launching of the world’s largest cruise ship, The Liberty of the Seas, which is part of Royal Caribbean. It made my ship look small, but made the Queen Elizabeth II look like a tiny little tug boat. We had lunch at a local pub and I tried a Shandy (sp?) – a mix of beer and sprite. It was surprisingly good and very refreshing. Val took some pictures and a video that she’ll share with my parents when she returns to Colorado. It’s been very nice having familiar faces greet me along the way and remind me of home!

My itinerary for this cruise is very nice. I’ll be in Vigo tomorrow, and then Lisbon, Barcelona, Cannes, Rome, Naples, Corsica, and Gibraltar. Time to go pass some more time at sea….

Politics at Sea

2008-04-24T10:18:00.001-07:00

I watched an interesting documentary today called “From Freedom to Fascism”. The bass player loaned it to me and is quite a radical thinker when it comes to government and where America is heading (although I agree with most of what he says). He is also into organic/local foods and even has a compost pile! Anyway, the movie revolves around the fact that there is no law that states that we have to pay an income tax. Back in 1913 the Federal Reserve was created and Amendment 16 requiring corporations to pay tax on profits and gains was created but never ratified. He continues the argument that America is ruled by a select few bankers who are pushing to have a world government where they have all the power. I didn’t realize the Federal Reserve is not run by the government, but a private enterprise that actually charges the government interest and can create money on a whim – could explain why my dollar will get me nowhere in Europe! According to Mussolini, fascism is nothing more than the marriage of corporation and government and thus the director, Aaron Russo, claims that we have become a fascist society. There was also an interesting clip from the National Election Committee debriefing the 2004 Ohio presidential election results and how there was no question that the electronic voting was hacked. I’ll stop my political ranting now – I guess that’s what happens when you’re stuck on a ship for a week!

Speaking of the crossing of the Atlantic, we are moving at a snail’s pace! To tie in to capitalism, the only reason we’re at sea for so long is so the ship can make more money from the passengers. At least, that’s what I believe since we basically cover the same distance from Southampton to Portugal in 1 day compared to the 3 we’re taking from the Azores! We’ve been very lucky with weather and only rocked really noticeably a few nights ago. It was actually quite calming to be rocked to sleep although my cabin was making all sorts of creaking noises.

Last night I had a nice clarinet feature with one of the guest artists who plays clarinet and sax. We did a rousing Polka duet – it was the most I’ve worked since I joined the ship! Have to run to rehearsal now. I am now 7 hours ahead of Denver time and will fluctuate between 7 and 8 for the next few months depending on how far east in the Med I am. Cheers!

Back Pain

2008-04-22T13:13:00.001-07:00

The crossing has been remarkably smooth thus far. The Caribbean was rougher than the Atlantic – go figure! Today we’re in Ponta Delgada which is part of the Azures of Portugal. We’ve definitely arrived in Europe. It’s refreshing to have some different culture than the Caribbean – not that the Caribbean isn’t nice, it was just time for a change. There seems to have been English influence in the architecture, but I’ve heard that they have always been under Portugal so I’m not sure. The island actually reminded me a lot of Ireland with rolling green hills – not at all what I expected!

I strained my lower back in the gym a few days ago and have been in loads of pain. I’ve never had such bad back pains and can now sympathize with all the bad backs in my family. If it’s not better tomorrow, I’m going to go check about getting a massage or something to loosen it up. My private hot tub is helping though (well it’s not mine, but nobody is ever out there, so it seems like it’s mine!).

Being at sea the past 4 days has felt a bit like ground hog day. Everyday we moved the clocks forward one hour and everyday you look outside and see nothing but water and you do the same thing over and over. The repetitiveness has forced me to visit the buffet more frequently and I’ve discovered the wonderful tradition of English Tea! The scones with jam and cream are delicious….mmmmm. Speaking of the buffet, it’s time to go eat lunch!

What Luck!

2008-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

The fates are smiling on me! I’ve somehow managed to get my very own cabin for the crossing of the Atlantic. One of the Caribbean deck bands got off before the crossing, so the musicians have some empty cabins. The bandmaster offered my roommate the opportunity for a single since he has seniority among the group, so now I have some space until Southampton. Maybe I’ll luck out and get to keep the cabin even longer, but I’m not holding my breath. There have also been rumors that we may have a dry dock for a few days in Southampton. A dry dock is when the ship stays in port for repairs and we would be without passengers, so I would just have to punch my card in the ship every 72 hours to keep getting paid. Last year the ship ended up in dry dock for an entire cruise (2 weeks!), so I might get to see more of England than I anticipated. This is all based on rumors and speculation.

I’ve actually enjoyed my first day of crossing. It’s quite awesome to look on the horizon and see nothing but water and try to fathom the vastness of the ocean. It’s huge! And there’s an entirely different world living under there. I glimpsed a tip of the iceberg (that’s probably a really ill-advised metaphor to use!) today, as I saw some flying fish while I was walking the deck. I ate flying fish in Barbados so it was nice to see them alive as well! The name pretty much describes itself – a fish with wings! They were flying away from the spray of the ship, so I felt a bit guilty for intruding their home. I also found myself thinking of how my great grandparents crossed the Atlantic nearly a century ago and how different the conditions would have been. For one, they didn’t have satellites to entertain them with television, phones, and internet!

Hopefully the novelty of the crossing will last the entire week!

Zip-lining

2008-04-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Not too much has been happening the past few days. I've been enjoying my final Caribbean beach days before crossing the Atlantic, which begins today at 5:00 p.m.! I'm definitely missing watching Stanley Cup playoffs and the NHL site is very slow on the ship, so if anyone feels like sending me scores, feel free!

Today I went zip-lining through a rain forest in Antigua. It was fun, but I'm not sure it was worth the money. I actually had to pay for the tour because they didn't have enough passengers to have an escort. I'm glad I can add it to my life experiences. I wanted something more dangerous with a huge gorge and drop-off. There was a leap of faith that was exciting. Not much else to report for now. Think calm sea thoughts the next 7 days!

Rum punch and downpours

2008-04-13T08:23:00.001-07:00

So my party cruise in Grenada on Friday was loads of fun. I drank way too much rum punch and almost missed my first show! I went to take a nap after rehearsal and set my alarm, but slept straight through the alarm, 4 phone calls from the bass player and the cabin steward coming in to straighten the room out. Luckily my roommate came 5 minutes before the show and woke me up. Fortunately there aren’t any party cruises in Europe, so I should be safe from having a repeat scare!

The cruise was loads of fun and I even got to dance with a very spunky Argentinian passenger – she reminded me a lot of my surrogate grandmother, Julie. I also partook in the limbo with the steel drum band and have pictures and videos that will hopefully be up someday.

Yesterday was my last stop in Barbados and I did some shopping in Bridgetown and relaxed on a beach. I went to dinner with Kalya and Ramon and had a curried potato roti – a roti is sort of like a burrito, they stuff pastry with all sorts of different ingredients – mine had curried potatoes, soy channa, peas, and a pepper sauce – very tasty! I also had ice cream as we had fun scrounging all our Barbados Dollars together to use every last penny. We took a walk to the beach after and got caught in a complete downpour. The most rain we’ve seen the entire trip. We eventually found a taxi to take us back to the ship, but we were soaking wet. Just 5 more Caribbean Islands and then I’ll be on my transatlantic voyage to Europe!

Oh, I watched the Kite Runner last night. The book is definitely better (which seems to always be the case), but I thought they did a great job adapting it to the screen. I recommend watching it.

Caracas

2008-04-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...not really sure why Caracas is on our itinerary. I guess to be fair to all my Venezuelan friends I'll start with the good part of my tour to Caracas.

The name Venezuela actually means Little Venice and there is quite a large Venician population in Venezuela. The highlight of Caracas for me was the Murano glass blowing factory. It's amazing watching the artisans shape the glass into dogs and clowns. I watched one add an accordian to a clown and give it hands. It's a 2 man process as one is the sculptor and the other is the runner getting hot glass ready for the artist. Another guy was blowing the glass and making vases and drinking glass. Really interesting watching the process.

So the other parts of Caracas that I visited no so exciting. I visited the Pantheon which is where Simon Bolivar's remains are buried, but it wasn't very exciting as I couldn't understand a word our guide said. The other place we went was a Colonial Museum which was really boring. It was an old wealthy estate from the 18th Century. Maybe if I had gone to other parts of Caracas my impression would be different, but it is a very large city with tons of traffic. It's surrounded by mountains and has a lot of vegetation, but nothing really impressive. I did see Chavez signs this time and saw all the parts of society. There is a definite difference between poor, middle class, and rich housing. I actually found Isla Margarita to have more poverty than Caracas, but maybe it's because we were in the nicer parts.

We had lunch at a restaurant in a very nice hotel, but the meal wasn't traditional. I don't understand why all these places serve western food rather than their local cuisine. There was quite a stir at lunch when one of the waiters spilled coke on a passenger. The passenger was disgusting. She demanded for the staff to either buy her a new shirt and handbag or launder her clothes because she could not eat like that. They ended up washing and drying her clothes and delaying our group. The nerve of some people.

Today I'm going on a party catamaran with a steel drum band and Mourn Rouge beach in Grenada. Happy Friday!

Grand Cayman

2008-04-07T15:29:00.001-07:00

I think Grand Cayman has the most beautiful water in the world. I thought I had seen some pretty amazing crystal blue seas in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, but nothing compares to the colors of Grand Cayman’s water. It’s absolutely perfect. Brilliant blues spill into turquoise pools which meld into tranquil aquamarines. I’m trying to describe it, but it truly is indescribable!

What’s underneath the water is just as spectacular. I went on a snorkeling tour of a reef and more stingrays. Grand Cayman is a tender port for us, which means we have to dock about 200 yards from the pier and then take small water taxis to the port. I actually had to work for my tour this time as we had to muster passengers from point A to point B – well worth the extra effort though.

My tour only had 14 people and we took a boat out to the reef. Once at the reef, we got to dive in and snorkel. I think my favorite underwater discovery was a huge school of periwinkle fish that had to have numbered at least 300 if not more. It was beautiful swimming along side them and watching them maneuver through the reefs. In the middle of all the periwinkle fish was a great big rainbow colored fish. The other highlight was an eel that our guide found. I can’t remember the name of it but it begins with an M. It was at least 3 feet long if not longer. The guide fed it and eels can be rather feisty. It went after a passenger a few times and you could see its teeth grinding away just dying to bite into some flesh – pretty cool!

After the reef, we took a short ride to a sandbar where I got to swim with stingrays for the 2nd time in a week – I know it’s not fair. This time was even better than the first. The minute you got off the boat you were surrounded by stingrays and they would swim up your back and lift their wings as they swam around you. The guide assuaged all our fears about the stinger by explaining that the only way you can get stung is if you step on the stinger or grab the tail and wrestle with the stingray. He then proceeded to touch the stinger to his tongue to show us he wasn’t kidding – still not sure that I would be that bold, but hey. I got to hold and feed the rays and even kissed one on the nose. The water did get a little rough, so it was a little nerve racking bobbing up and down not knowing if I’d land on one of the rays. Oh, I also learned that stingrays are members of the shark family.

Today we were at sea and I slept the entire day. I have a cold and probably health wise should have not gone on the tour yesterday, but I can’t pass up a chance to see a new island. Tomorrow I’ll have a chance to rest and recover as well since I have in port manning. I now recommend visiting any island in the Caribbean with grand in it’s name – Grand Cayman, Grand Turk – because they truly do live up to their billing!

Dunn's River Falls

2008-04-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

Today I climbed Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was yet another spectacular experience. The falls are 900 feet tall and we started our ascent at the beach and climbed to the top. It’s quite a rush to be surrounded by jungle and wild birds as you scale slippery rocks with water rushing over them! The falls aren’t the type that you can jump into, but we did get to slide down one of the sections and fall backwards into a deep pool at another section. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to bring my camera as it is not waterproof, but went in on a DVD with another escort so hopefully I’ll have something to bring back and share. The one downfall (no pun intended!) of the experience is that the sun wasn’t shining and it was pretty darn cold. I think I need to gain some more body fat just so I can withstand the cold waters. I’m fighting a cold which I think I got swimming with the stingrays, so today probably didn’t help, but I can’t pass up all these wonderful opportunities.

Right as we were leaving the falls it started pouring rain and lasted pretty much the rest of the day. Lots and lots of rain! Its good preparation for all the rain I’ll be seeing in Southampton, England.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the Dunn’s Falls are featured in the James Bond movie, Dr. No. If you’ve been keeping track from my European trip in the fall, you’ll realize this is my second Bond location within the year; I’ll be 007 before you know it!

Gossip

2008-04-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

There's not a whole lot that's happened since Monday to report. The most exciting thing is that our trombone player was kicked off in St. Maarten because he tested positive for marijuana. He was involved with these 2 spa girls that all of us warned him he would get in trouble if he kept hanging around them. They were always messed up on something. Anyway, somebody overheard them talking which prompted the captain to go on rounds and they ended up drug testing the 2 girls and Josh. The 2 girls tested positive for cocaine. They're lucky it was in St. Maarten, because the next day we were in St. Thomas, a U.S. territory and the authorities would have been involved.

The winds were very strong heading into Grand Turk so I missed my snorkeling adventure in Grand Turk, but still got to soak up the sun on a beautiful white sand beach and do some swimming. Last night I watched Michael Clayton and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it if you like legal thrillers. Today we are at sea all day heading to Montego Bay. I went to the gym and lounged on the deck and swam in the pool. I know my life is really rough. I'll definitely need a vacation when I get back. I'm excited because tonight is Italian night at the buffett! (Did I spell that right?)

Stingray City

2008-03-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

I had yet another exciting adventure today. I went snorkeling with stingrays! It was an amazing experience. There were probably around 60 stingrays swimming all around. I even was able to hold and feed one. They have an incredibly interesting texture that I'm not sure how to describe. I think maybe if you imagine a wet mushroom or maybe a lot of wet noodles smoothed together. Nevertheless, really cool! Feeding them was also quite exciting as they suck their food up like a vacuum cleaner. They really have a lot of suction power and one tried to eat my foot, but once they realize you're not food they let go. Their teeth are very dull and they can't bite into humans. According to the guides they only sting when they're in the sand for self protection. It was still a bit creepy being surrounded by all these creatures with venomous tails brushing up against you. Their eyes are also pretty creepy and right above the eyes are slits that they use to filter water. If you ever get a chance to swim with stingrays I highly recommend it. If you're keeping notes, you now have to try land sailing and stingray swimming - we could have quite an impressive list by the end of my adventure!

Coconut Jelly

2008-03-30T15:12:00.001-07:00

I had quite an event filled day in Barbados today. I met up with my friend Mark again and his wife, Nicole. We took a drive along the west coast of Barbados up to the very northern point. Along the way we stopped for rum punch at a beach and then pastries in Spice Town. I had a jam puff, which reminded me of a croissant. The drive took us through rural areas of Barbados where they even had bales of hay – a site I haven’t seen since leaving Colorado. There were also fields of sugar cane and loads of mango trees and bread fruit trees (more on those in a minute).

North Point was really impressive. There were massive waves slamming into the cliffs and creating lots of sea spray. I imagine it’s a bit similar to Big Sur and Carmel in California, but I’ve never actually been to those places so can’t say for sure. It was incredibly windy. I thought the wind was going to literally blow me over a few times – luckily it was blowing towards the land and not over the cliffs!

After North Point we went back to Bridgetown and stopped at a gas station for Tiger Malta (tastes a bit like molasses soda) and Bank’s Beer – the local Baygan (not sure if I’m spelling that correctly, but it’s the equivalent of saying Coloradan) brew. We also stopped at a little stand on the side of the road where a man was selling coconuts. They eat ‘green’ coconuts in Barbados or coconuts that aren’t ripe. The coconuts we get stateside are mature, that’s why they’re brown and the flesh has hardened. Here’s the process: The guy cuts a hole into the coconut with a machete like blade and hands you a straw. You slurp all the coconut water out which has a fain milky taste and is supposedly really good for your kidneys. You then hand the coconut back to the guy and he splits it open with the machete and cuts a scoop out of the outside of the coconut. You use the scoop to eat the coconut jelly which is the unripe flesh. I wasn’t a very big fan of the jelly as it had a texture similar to squid or octopus.

After this they took me back to the ship where I had to put in my half hour of work for the day. I then rounded up some of my shipmates and we went to meet Mark at somewhat of a boardwalk for dinner. Getting to the boardwalk was an interesting adventure. We ended up walking about half an hour from the port to catch a local taxi van. The local taxi vans are very cheap (.75 USD) and very local! It’s about the size of a mini-van, maybe a bit bigger and they cram in as many bodies as they can fit. It was probably the closest I’ll ever get to feeling like a sardine! They also drive with lead feet, so there’s a lot of getting to know your neighbor involved with corners.

When I say boardwalk, it’s more like an outdoor food court area along the beach. There are all sorts of different stands and a band stand in the middle where they had Karaoke. I had a fried flying fish plate which included flying fish, rice and peas, fried plantains, macaroni and cheese, green salad, potato salad, and bread fruit – all for $13 USD! Bread fruit grows on trees (as mentioned before) and has to be baked or grilled to eat it. I’d say the closest thing it tastes like is a sweet potato – it’s very starchy and dry. I enjoyed every last bite of my Baygan cuisine! We left around 9:00 p.m. to make it back on-board before sailing away at 10:30. Now I’m on my way to St. Lucia and sweet dreams!

Okay, so this is going to be a mega post since a day has passed and I have more to report from St. Lucia! It seems like the past 2 days have been my agricultural adventure days. I went on an excursion exploring the northern part of St. Lucia and saw where many of the foods we love to eat in the States come from.

I saw a cocoa tree and saw the orangish/purplish leaves that bear the pods that we ultimately get chocolate from. The locals dry the paste into sticks and then make chocolate tea out of them. I also saw a coffee plant and the red Arabica beans of the tree. These get harvested and roasted to brew the essential ingredient for many people’s morning wake-up. The most interesting tree I saw was a cashew tree. I now know why cashews are on of the most expensive nuts. Each fruit of the tree only produced one cashew. The fruit was about the size of a tennis ball and red and had a brown sprout poking out which is the cashew. The other fascinating stop we made was at a banana plantation. Banana trees are quite fascinating. The fruit starts in a purple pod and then a bunch of bananas begin to sprout out of that with a flower on the end. At just the right time of maturity the flowers must be cut off otherwise the birds will ruin the bananas. After the flower is cut off, a blue bag is placed around the growing bananas to protect them from the elements. Once the tree produces its bunch of bananas it dies – they have very short life cycles. Luckily the roots reproduce extremely well and as soon as the tree has died a new tree sprouts right back up. It just takes one banana tree to plant an entire plantation! There’s some food for thought the next time you go to peel a banana!

There’s not much else to report except we have a new bandmaster/trumpeter and drummer. They are both very nice and the drummer is a much more sensitive player, so I think my hearing will receive some relief!

Proud Uncle

2008-03-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

On Friday, March 28, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (MST) my sister gave birth to 8 ½ pound Anthony Mateo Escalera. She ended up having a c-section, and both she and Anthony are healthy. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet, but hopefully will today. I’m also eagerly awaiting pictures, because I hear Anthony has all of his uncle’s good looks!

Eye Opener

2008-03-27T07:44:00.001-07:00

I can now officially say that I have been to South America. I visited Isla Margarita, Venezuela today, and it was quite an eye-opener. Through all my travels, I’ve devised two ways of telling how poor a country is: the amount of trash on the streets, and the amount and appearance of stray dogs. Using these criteria I have to say Venezuela is possibly the poorest country I have ever visited. There is garbage all along the roads and incredibly scraggly dogs roaming the streets. A lot of the people I passed seemed to have a longing in their eyes to find a better life, but on the other hand they seemed like the happiest people I have ever seen – more on that later. I also saw an amusing billboard that put things into perspective. Instead of the traditional ‘don’t drink and drive’ slogan, it said ’60 or 120 km/h? Your perception changes when you drink.’ That was it! It seemed to be more of a cautionary sign because they realize people will drink and drive no matter what.

The island is one of the more beautiful ones I’ve visited thus far. I took an open jeep safari tour to the top of one of the mountains that was densely covered with mango trees and banyan trees. I didn’t realize that banyan trees actually grow more trees from their branches to help support the main root system – that’s why so many of them bridge across one another. I also saw a red squirrel and hens with baby chicks, but unfortunately no monkeys! The tour guides and drivers then performed the Venezuelan National Anthem and a donkey dance that I took videos of and hopefully will get them up on youtube at some point along my trip.

After the mountain, we went to the main city in Margarita which is Ascuncion. We visited Simon Bolivar square and saw the 2nd oldest church in Venezuela. I didn’t realize how many countries in South America that Simon Bolivar helped liberate from the Spanish: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and I can’t remember the other ones. Oh, before I forget, I also noticed numerous communist organizations and signs honoring Che Guevara – nothing about Chavez though.

We then drove to Playa Paraguita which was a very beautiful beach that had a black and white sand mix. Made things very hot on the feet! The waves were actually quite large and I got some good body surfing in. I think good body surfing might be the most exhilarating thing in life. I love the feeling of cresting over the wave and riding down like a slide and then being slammed under water by the wave. My dad would have been in heaven today! After the beach we followed a dramatic coast line back to the ship.

The island is incredibly hot. I started sweating the minute I felt the sun and I can’t imagine what it’s like in July and August. Throughout the drive, I saw families and groups huddled on their porches or under trees or in whatever sliver of shade they could find. It seems that the poorest countries I visit have the strongest sense of community and family. It’s amazing what lack of luxuries and modern amenities will do for human relations. They may be poor, but they have human contact. Conversations aren’t conducted through computers, but with live human voices – what a novelty! It’s the community that makes me feel like the people are content, happy and blessed with what they have. I think I may change my plans of sailing the Virgin Islands to doing some service work in a third-world country. Thanks for making it through this lengthy post!

Okay, so as I was going to access the internet (I type my posts first and then paste them on-line later to save money!) I discovered that Hugo Chavez blocks all access to the internet outside of Venezuela. He also blocks our satellite, so we have no phones or television. Life under a dictator is swell!

Land Sailing

2008-03-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Whooopeeee!!!!! I had quite an exhilarating adventure this morning. I went land sailing in Bonaire. For those of you who don’t know what land sailing is (I was with you just a few hours ago) it’s one of the fastest growing eco-sports and is pretty much a wind powered go-kart. Bonaire gets lots of trade winds so makes the island an ideal spot for the sport. The blo-kart is a three wheeled vehicle with a sail attached. You have handlebar steering with one hand and then your other hand holds onto a rope that is attached to the sail. If you want to go faster, you tighten the sail and to go slower you release the sail. Bonaire doesn’t have any long stretch of beach so they’ve created a course made entirely of calcium sorbate (?) from the nearby salt fields. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun!!!! It was brilliant (as the Brits would say)!

It’s incredibly windy today, so there would be gusts of wind that actually lifted the whole kart off the ground and I was quite often driving on one wheel. I did crash into the barriers on one turn and lost my sail on another, but luckily I didn’t flip over (which is actually quite common)! I now have a deeper appreciation for the wind and feel bad for all the times I’ve cursed it under my breath. In fact, it makes up for my snorkeling tour being cancelled yesterday due to the wind! I forgot my camera so unfortunately I have no pictures to document my experience but I’m sure you can google land sailing if you’re curious to see what the karts look like. I highly recommend blo-karting once in your life!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T08:56:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! I think I attended quite possibly the strangest Easter Sunday service ever. Priests basically volunteer to give services on cruise ships in exchange for a free cruise – pretty good deal. The priest that gave the service this morning is currently at a parish in Juarez Mexico. The entire sermon was a chastisement of the Catholic Church and how the Bishops provide no outside funding for charities outside they’re diocese. He continued to rant about the ratio of priests to parishioners in Mexico, an extremely Catholic country, and the U.S. Apparently for every one priest in Mexico there are 5 in the U.S. He continued his sermon to question how the guests could consciously spend the money that they did on the cruise when he doesn’t even get a salary and basically begs to sustain a high school for the poor in Juarez. There was really no message of resurrection or new life conveyed for the Easter Sunday sermon!

I really missed Easter breakfast with my family. I’m sure they’re eating Easter Bread and frittata (well, maybe not the frittata) as I’m typing. There wasn’t anything special at breakfast except some dyed eggs and Happy Easter banners. Yogurt (notice no h!) and granola just quite doesn’t match my typical Easter fare.

Yesterday I had quite the adventure in Montego Bay. I ended up walking with my roommate, Steve, into town. Steve’s only real goal was to find beer – I’ve discovered that he’s pretty much an alcoholic, but that’s fairly typical for a ship musician. I’m definitely not getting sucked into their lifestyle and don’t see myself succumbing to it. So anyway we found a place called Jerky’s next to a Texaco and they had beer so Steve was happy. There was not much going on there so we decided to walk into the town center. We didn’t realize that there is a local downtown and a tourist downtown, and we happened to find the local downtown. We were the only white faces in probably a 3 mile radius. We got quite a few stares, but nobody heckled, threatened, or bothered us as many have warned about the Jamaicans. We did experience some racism as we sat down in a restaurant and received no service. After 10 minutes, we got the drift and left. We then saw the trombone player on the street and he pointed us towards the tourist area where we found a nice restaurant. I had jerk pork (yes, I purchased meat, but felt I needed to try the local specialty) with rice and peas and really good plantains. Very delicious meal and relatively cheap! We then walked about an hour back to the ship.

I don’t think I have too much more to report now, but I hope everybody has a wonderful day and finds some Easter Eggs for me!

Sea Legs

2008-03-20T15:18:00.001-07:00

So I think I know fully understand what it means to have “sea legs”. Tonight has by far been the roughest sea yet. Basically having “sea legs” means you can stand up and walk in a somewhat straight line. I imagine it’s something of a cross between being in space with zero gravity and being inebriated! Going up and down stairs is the most fun part because some steps you feel like the heaviest person and then other steps you just float right up. I don’t know if I’m describing this in any coherent fashion, but hopefully you get the point. I still haven’t gotten sick (knock on wood!), but I did give my cabin steward some motion sickness pills because he wasn’t doing well at all. I think we’re having bad weather due to a hurricane or some storm. The captain made an announcement, but I couldn’t really hear it. We’re on our way to Grand Turk from St. Thomas.

Due to the bad weather, our shows for tonight were cancelled. They decided it would be unsafe for the dancers to be dancing which is perfectly understandable! Well, I think I’m going to stop typing now because I’m getting a headache from all the motion! (I just realized I should have said last night instead of tonight since I won’t be posting this until Thursday.)

Hodge Podge

2008-03-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

I apologize in advance for the randomness that this post will probably entail, but bear with me!

Let’s start with my musical frustration. This is not exactly the most musically rewarding gig I have ever had (funny how it is the best paying with the most perks!). I just got done rehearsing with a duo from the U.K. that covers Beatles tunes, and they are wretched. Oh man, I don’t think I’ve heard such out of tune playing since High School! I expected a bit more quality on a ship, but I guess they get bad acts once and a while. Although as I typed that I realized that they’ve been on this ship before and the audience loved them – I guess the Beatles sell! My other complaint musically has been how loud all of the shows are. I’ve resorted to wearing ear plugs to tolerate things, but then I can’t hear for matching articulations and pitch. I hate playing with ear plugs it makes everything I play seem flat. Okay, enough of the rants!

Today I explored yet another gem of the Caribbean: Tortola which is in the British Virgin Islands. I actually explored more of the island of Virgin Gorda (supposedly named by Columbus because when he saw the island it looked like a fat virgin – go figure!). I went on another excursion which involved a boat ride down Sir Francis Drake Channel and pretty much all of the British Virgin Islands. For all you Pirates of the Caribbean fans (Heidi!), we went by Dead Man’s Island where the infamous Dead Man’s Chest is buried. We then went to the “Baths” of Virgin Gorda, which are giant rock outcroppings that form little pools of water from the sea. I did some good climbing and saw lots of crabs and took a video which hopefully I’ll be able to upload at some point. We then crawled through caves and walked wooden planks to arrive at another beach, Devil’s Bay. They were very nice beaches, but I think spring break must be starting because they were jam packed with a lot of obnoxious Americans – I forgot how obnoxious we can be when we amass in great force! The other down fall was that the weather today was not exactly beach weather. It’s the first day that there’s been sustained rain and lots of cloud cover, oh well, can’t ask for everything.

Before I forget, yesterday’s big news was that I received my first pay check – whoopee!! I almost forgot I was working and not on vacation, so holding all that cash was nice! I’m hoping my direct deposit will start in 2 pay periods as promised, if not I’ll have to figure out how to get money to my bank. The only other excitement of yesterday was that I found the fastest internet connection yet. There’s a bar on the water front in Antigua that has a super connection and it’s free!! It’s amazing how spoiled we’ve become with all of our modern day luxuries. I’m trying to remember if there’s anything else I was meaning to blog about, but I’m drawing a blank at the moment. Oh, Sir Francis Drake Channel has some of the best sailing in the world so the sea was speckled with all sorts of ships today. Quite a spectacular sight! Maybe I’ll buy a sail boat with all my earnings and sail between Grand Turk and the British Virgin Islands for the rest of my life!!

Dominica

2008-03-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've discovered another gem of the Caribbean: Dominica! Oh, it's very nice hear. It's one of the more lush and tropical locales that we have been for a while. The town is very quiet today due to it being Sunday and it is just a wonderful, lazy Sunday day! I went for a walk to a beautiful park this morning with Kalya (Cambodia), Ramon (Mexico), and Gianfranco (Italy). We then continued into some of the smaller villages and met some very friendly locals who let us sample a very interesting root vegetable. I'm still not sure what the name of it was, but it looked like a very small potatoe and tasted somewhat like jicima, but also juicy like a coconut. I guess it takes on a very different taste when it is cooked. The local we met lived in Hawaii for a while and also spent some time in Aspen. Very friendly and a typical Rasta saying "Hey Man" every other phrase. After this I went back to the ship and changed into running clothes and went for a run along the coast. Big mistake! I highly recommend avoiding running in mid-afternoon tropical heat with 100% humidity! I think I made it maybe 2 1/2 miles before I couldn't take it anymore. Now, I'm at a cafe enjoying a local Dominican Beer, Kubuli, and pirating some internet! I added an image to my "Pinch Me" post so make sure to scroll down and check it out! Oh, and is it Palm Sunday? I noticed quite a few people hacking off palm fronds and headed for church. Is Easter really next Sunday?!!! Farewell for now man! Peace.

Familiar Face

2008-03-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

So my exciting news to report for now is that I’ve been to South America. I didn’t actually set foot in Venezuela, but I did see it from the ship. Unfortunately I actually had to work the day we were in La Guaira and was going to get off the ship for an hour with my Spanish speaking friend Jumari, but when we went to get off the security wanted to know where our day passes were. Apparently we have to have a day pass to enter Venezuela and the passes were in our supervisor’s office. By the time we figured all of this out we only had about 20 minutes before we needed to be back on the boat, so I’ll have to wait until next time to see Caracas. From what I saw off La Guaira, it is a very poor area. The houses were in shambles practically falling off the mountains and there were garbage piles spilling over the mountain as well. I’ve tried posting pictures, but haven’t had success so far. I guess I’ll have to devote one of my days to finding better internet access instead of going to the beach – what would you do if you were me? Beach or internet?!!

Yesterday we were in Grenada and I enjoyed that island, but not as much as Grand Turk. The town was nice, but the minute I stepped of the ship I was bombarded with people wanting to show me around town or give me a taxi ride. I wandered up to Fort George, which I think was important during the U.S. invasion back in the 80’s, but I’m not positive. I did end up getting suckered to give money by a peddler at Fort George. He was a very nice man and had trinkets that he was selling, so I gave in and supported the local economy. After this I went to Grand Anse beach in a water taxi and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. I did upset all the beach hawkers, because I refused a chair and drinks – everybody seems to want my money – go figure!

Today, I’m back in Barbados and gearing up for another lap around the Caribbean. We go to a few different islands than the last cruise so I’ll have some new experiences. Today was nice because I was able to catch up with a former co-worker from the CU Concerts Office. Mark, the graphic designer, now lives in Barbados and took me down to the beach and we had drinks and doubles. Doubles are a West Indies cuisine consisting of 2 flat bread stuffed with curried chickpeas and pepper sauce. Very tasty! Mark is going to take me to the east coast of Barbados the next time I’m in port – which is 2 weeks. It’s always nice to see a familiar face! Well, I’m off to finish my laundry and get some dinner. Tonight’s the bands night off, so I can rest from all the hard work I’ve put in the past few weeks. (Wink, wink!)

Bon Bini Bonaire

2008-03-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

Bon Bini Bonaire!! Welcome to Bonaire! So today was another grueling day of life at sea! I went on another tour as an escort. This time it was snorkeling in Bonaire! I have to admit that I enjoyed yesterday’s tour more, but I’m not in any situation to be complaining.

The snorkeling was right off a beach that was near the airport, so not the nicest area, but there was some interesting sea life. I think my coolest find was an eel – they’re really fun to watch wriggle around and all the other fish seem to swarm towards it. I’m guessing this is because it kicks up so much sand and probably food for all the other parasites! The other really cool fish I saw was about 2 feet long and looked like a snake, but after staring at it for a good 5 minutes it definitely wasn’t a snake. The guides gave us some booklets on the fish, and I think maybe it was a trumpet fish, but I’m not positive. I also saw another really cool blue fish that was hiding in some coral and was very small but had all sorts of blue dots that seemed to glow in the dark. I also saw porcupine fish, stoplight parrot fish, spotted trunk fish, french angel fish, and possibly a midnight parrot fish, but again my species identification is not up to snuff! The water was actually surprisingly cold and I couldn’t stay in too long without starting to shiver – a problem when I have no insulation!

Speaking of insulation, I’ll be convinced that I have a tape worm if I don’t gain weight during the cruise! I’ve been gorging myself at the buffet. They give you such large plates and I always feel inclined to fill mine up. I’ve also been indulging my sweet tooth and had a delicious chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream and cherry sauce last night. I know, so much for my deadly two: high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. The cream puff pastries are just so tasty! Hopefully the novelty will wear off pretty soon and I’ll get sick of eating at the buffet. I think it’s starting to wear off already, as today for lunch I was longing for some variety. I’ll have to get over my frugality and indulge in the local cuisine of my ports of call.

Anyway, enough of that food diversion. The rest of the snorkeling was nice, although I did get slightly burned between my adventures yesterday and today. Don’t hate me too much, but on top of all this, I have tonight off. Absolutely no work today – all play! (I think I can hear all the groans and paper being thrown at the screen.) Tomorrow I’ll be in Venezuela, but unfortunately have safety inductions and rehearsals, so no chance to get off the ship. I guess I have to earn my keep somedays!

Ahhh,....Aruba

2008-03-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Aruba. I’ll warn you in advance that this post will probably cause more jealousy!!! We arrived in Aruba today which was a much needed respite from the 2 days at sea. I’m not sure what I’ll do on the crossing to Europe. It’s not too bad, but I just start feeling a bit trapped while on board. Anyway, Aruba is second on my list of islands. I still prefer Grand Turk because of all the unspoiled beauty, but Aruba is just as beautiful except mobbed with people!! It’s a bit like Venice Beach or beaches in Miami (I’ve never actually been to either of these, but I gather that’s what it’s like from descriptions!). The beaches are very glitzy and the malls are full of top designer brands.

So one of my added perks (I know as if I didn’t have enough!!) of the job is being able to go on tour excursions as an escort for free!!! So today, I had a wonderful tour of the island with Lisette and learned all about Aruba. One of the more fascinating parts was the language. I believe it was called papamiento (could be horribly wrong with this, so don’t hold me accountable) and is a mix of English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish – quite the jumble! I’ll teach you how to say thank you with phonetic spelling – mash donkey – that’s how it sounds! I also learned that the Aruban government provides the lower class affordable housing for 200 USD/month and after 15 years they own the house – pretty sweet deal. Aruba was also formed by a volcano and the eastern side is bordered by the Atlantic. There are tons of cacti and really electric blue lizards slithering around everywhere. The tour also went to a light house where we got on a boat for a ride along the coast. I was able to scope out all the nice beaches for my next visit in a few weeks! Another perk was the open bar on-board – life in the Caribbean is rough, real rough!

The coolest part of the tour was that on the boat ride we were actually able to see Venezuela!! I’ve now seen an entirely new continent. Aruba is very close to Venezuela and because it was such a clear day, we were able to see the mountains of Venezuela. I have trainings and rehearsals the day we’re at Caracas, so unfortunately I won’t be able to see much on this stop. Anyway, I have to actually go to rehearsal now (I do work a few hours a day!) so I hope all are well wherever they may be!

Ughhh....

2008-03-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend avoiding being hung over and sailing on rough water – it’s a losing combination, trust me!! Ughhh. Today has not been a very enjoyable day at sea. We were supposed to dock at Grand Cayman which is a tender port. A tender port means that the ship can’t actually dock at the shore, but has to dock in the bay and then carry passengers back and forth on little boats. The winds were too strong to safely do this, so the captain decided to head for our next port, Aruba. The sea has been pretty rough the entire day with lots of strong winds and all the rocking really doesn’t help cure a hang over! I guess it’s a sign that I shouldn’t drink too much in the future! I can also hear the waves crashing against the ship in my cabin, although the rocking is sort of nice for sleeping – sort of like a water bed. Playing in these conditions will be exciting! I’ll let all of you know how it goes.

Would somebody please pinch me?!!!

2008-03-07T11:48:00.001-08:00

Seriously! I think I must be dreaming. Yesterday we visited the most heavenly island I could have ever imagined. It’s the island that always comes to mind as you’re shoveling through feet of snow on a cold Colorado winter’s morning. Eight square miles of beautiful white sandy pristine beaches with deep velvet blue water dappled with patches of turquoise gems. Ahhh! Heaven! I seriously considered abandoning ship and staying there forever. I suppose you want to know the name of my newfound paradise, although I must admit I’m a bit hesitant to unleash a throng of tourists upon my sanctuary. Okay, it’s Grand Turk. Thus far it’s been hands down my most favorite Caribbean Island…take note all you travelers!

Allow me to cause more drooling with my day-in-the-life. I woke up around 10:00 a.m. (actually 11:00 a.m. from the time zone we were coming from!), and had a cup of coffee with yoghurt and fresh fruit and the vast ocean as my background. After breakfast I checked my e-mail and then took a leisurely stroll along the Promenade deck before practicing for about an hour. Then I went to my “private” gym as the ship pulled into port. I got off and went sunbathing in paradise and took a beautiful swim in the ocean. I used my goggles for makeshift snorkeling and saw a stunning grey fish with brilliant blue trim all along its body and also what I believe was a tiger fish. I strolled back along the shore admiring the myriad of conch shells speckling the beach and made it back to the ship just in time for a 4:30 rehearsal. We rehearsed for about an hour and then I had a light snack before the 7:15 show. After the show, I went up and dined on swiss chard with garlic, red cabbage with apple and broiled flounder before the 9:00 show. After the show, I practiced some more for my first big production number tonight and then drifted away to dream land.

Oh, and did I mention I didn’t even spend a dime, but made money?! Somebody pinch me!!

(I think I’ve gloated enough for one day!)

A Hard Day's Work!

2008-03-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

So here is how my work day went yesterday. I woke up around 10:00 a.m. and got off the boat in St. Maarten. I walked to the main town and did some shopping and then sat on the beach for about an hour. I returned to the ship and had lunch, which surprisingly enough was already made for me! Then I practiced for about an hour and went to the gym. I had a half an hour rehearsal, ate dinner, had a beer, played a show for the comedian Dave Evans, had a between show snack, played another show and then went to watch my duo friends perform in a lounge. I'm telling you, life is rough in the Caribbean!

A Small World

2008-03-03T07:34:00.001-08:00

So, it's a small world after all! I went to school with the trombone player in my band, Josh. He was at CU for the first 2 years while I was there. Pretty crazy how that works out.

I'm adjusting to ship life fairly well. I can know actually find my cabin and most parts of the ship without wandering around completely lost for hours upon hours. You'd be surprised at how confusing the corridors can get!

I have to admit that I'm starting to feel a little like a hostage. In order to go on and off the ship you need a security card and I just received my card today. However, today also happens to be my in port manning day, which means I have to stay on board in case there's an emergency.

Let's talk safety. I had an initial induction my first day on board and then yesterday had an extremely lengthy induction all about safety. And today, there was a crew safety drill. As you can tell, safety is a pretty big thing on the ship.

Besides being inducted with safety training, I've also been playing some music. We had a guest singer last night and had a pretty tense rehearsal. I was told that wasn't really the norm, but my band leader, Tom, and the singer had different ideas about rehearsing. The 2 shows that night went well, but the singer definitely shouldn't have been singing Time to Say Goodbye alla Andrea Boccelli!

There was also a Back to School Disco last night in the crew bar. There is quite an international contingent! I can now add South Africa and Mexico to the list of countries. The one bad thing about the crew bar is that it is very smoky - my throat is still sore this morning! Well, I can't really think of anything else at the moment. I'll be spending another day on board being taunted by the beautiful scenery - tomorrow I'll be exploring a port for sure - can't really remember where we'll be, but I'll let you know!

(Sorry for the randomness of this post!)

Ahoy Matey's

2008-03-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Barbados! I have arrived and am on board the Sea Princess. The journey here went much smoother than anticipated! All my worries about luggage and carry-on were for not. If you act like you know what you're doing and keep on the DL, people pretty much let you do whatever.

I arrived in Barbados last night around 8:30 and was transported to my resort around 9:30. I learned a lot about the Caribbean's fastest and most sophisticated developing nation. There are 250,000 people on 166 square miles. What's more is that every one of those people owns at least one car! Traffic is a nightmare! They are also the only Caribbean nation to be colonized by only one nation - the U.K. They gained independence on November 30, 1966. The 2 top industries are tourism and sugar cane. Anyway, that's enough about the island.

I had a delicious meal of pan fried Flying fish and fresh island squashes and peppers - very tasty. Musicians get treated much better than crew as I had to report to the ship at 11:30 a.m. rather than 7:30 a.m.!

I arrived at the ship with 2 other musicians - a singing guitar duo from Australia. This is their 5th year working on ships and first contract with Princess. We were taken on a whirlwind tour of the ship then it was off to a safety induction. My main function is guiding people down an emergency stair at the aft (back) of the ship to the muster station. Not a single sole came by during the drill today. I also get to demonstrate proper life jacket wearing to passengers.

My band master is very laid back and a real nice guy. The band has the night off, but I'll be rehearsing and performing tomorrow. My roommate is the other sax player and hails from Canada. I'd say he's in his 50's, so it'll be interesting to see how things work out. It is quite an international scene. I've met people from U.K., Australia, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, India, Thailand, Brazil, and some others I can't recall right now.

The internet situation is a little less than desirable as I have to go to either the crew mess hall or bar to access the wireless. And to top that off, I'm not allowed on Skype. I'll have to see if I can rectify the situation. Anyway, I should probably go grab some food. We sail for St. Lucia tonight.

Barbados or Bust

2008-02-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

So I found out yesterday that I'll be joining my ship in Barbados. I'll be leaving Denver on Friday morning and arriving in Barbados that evening. Princess will put me up at a beach resort that night and then I join the ship bright and early Saturday morning. For those of you who don't know where Barbados is (I didn't until yesterday), it's just southeast of St. Lucia and very close to Venezuela.

I also wanted to let you all know that you can track where the Sea Princess is and see a live image from the deck by following this link. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the bridge cam.

Bon Voyage!

2008-02-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! I'm off on another world adventure. On March 1, 2008 I will be joining the show band of the Sea Princess which is part of the Princess Cruise Fleet for a 4 month journey. I'll be starting in the Caribbean and then heading over to Europe as Spring arrives. I promise that I will blog more frequently than my last trip as free time and internet should be readily available!