It has been quite sometime since we had some time away from David, well to be honest this was our first trip longer than 1 day we took away from our little guy. We both needed a vaca, but still knew it would be tough leaving him behind.
Day 1We left on Thursday for Miami to start our journey, we headed to the Port of call to pickup our cruise on the Carnival Imagination.
Cat toasts one to sail away
The Miami Skyline from the ship
Leaving Miami
Ready for the Mustard Station
On the ship was this super-fast slide, yeah the water was cold too
Day 1 was pretty much just chillin'
Ended the evening with a sunset & a...
WALRUS!!!
Full Miami Photo Album here>The MilesMacungie to Philadelphia 58 miles
Philadelphia to Miami 1,201 miles
Miami to Key West 158 miles
Day 2Our second day was probably the most relaxing & probably where Cat & I will go to retire...Key West, FL. Beautiful, 80 degree weather, with warm sea breeze, white sandy beaches, clear blue waters, mile 0 (southern most point in the USA), tons of watering holes, Hemingway's House, Navy base & David Brian Jewelers!
Small island where the expense homes are
Closeup of the homes
Here are those white Sandy Beaches, & sandy toes :)
Clear cool waters
We even saw some famous models
My love
Our beach was very close to where we docked but there was less than 20 people on the beach, it was great!
The Southern most point of the USA, here we are with our co-tour guide Bonny
As we walked through Duval Street we came upon this sign
For those who don't know that is my first & middle name, but no I don't own a Jewelry shop
It was the first sign of a good vacation (more on this in a bit)
The homes were landscaped with beautiful vegetation
As we were about to leave we came upon this second "sign" of a good trip, Cat's maiden name Tifts Alley
Ended the night back in our room with an Elephant!
Full Key West Photo Album here>The MilesKey West to Cozumel 431 miles
Day 3
After docking back late afternoon Friday, we headed to Cozumel,Mexico on Saturday. No sooner did we awake and dock in Cozumel we were off to the main land by another boat. After we docked in the mainland, we walked about a mile to pickup a bus to drive another hour to Tulum, Mexico to see the Mayan Ruins. To summarize this experience was hot & sticky but simply amazing and enriched with history.
First thing first...we got our Mexican GPS
Some parts were very run down and seemed like everything was under construction, but here we saw Mexico's version of barb wire, actually it was very pretty in the sunlight
We stopped in a rest area before we entered Tulum
Here is a contraption that they use to make their famous blankets
Cat taking a chex MEX break
We did see many VWs along the way, including this posse of Hat sellers
Upon entering the Ruins you can see the only way out, well unless you want to swim out
Cat smiling & ready for a hike
You saw more lizards than birds
Just as there was a small rock wall doorway out, it was the same to get in
As soon as you enter, you immediately find yourself saying WOW
Main lookout tower
Thousand of years later, after many major hurricanes most of the structures still stand
There are 4 lookout towers, one at each corner
The stone foundations are still intact
It was very hot & humid, however this was the one spot where you felt the sea breeze, it also is the only opening to the base, but it was still nearly impossible to penetrate, since you have to go through the second largest coral reef, then climb a huge bluff & not get shot.
Main Structure, only a few steps to the top...the steps were designed so that you had to bend down while you climbed them to ensure you always bowed to the gods and the building
The towers actually leaned a bit, designed this way on purpose to help prevent the wind and sea salt from deteriorating the buildings
You can see a hole in the building, every 91 days the sun will shine through this hole letting you know of the season change and when to plant the seeds for farming
Handprints
Profiling Lizard
So when you got to the top you finally got cooled off, worth a smile
Amazing Blue Water
Opening between the bluff
Great Beach huh?
So after we were sitting for about 5 minutes to catch our breathe I told Cat to look down and to her right, she eventually saw this...another lizzy
This was the one structure we could walk into
Just don't fall down
We ended up only having an hour or so to stroll through Cozumel once we got back from Tulum, so we just strolled through the shops, and restaurant scene, here is our ship, the Imagination
Full Mexico Photo Album here>The MilesCozumel to Tulum 35 miles
Tulum to Cozumel 35 miles
Day 4Was all day sailing, we pretty much chilled out in the casino, Cat did well at the slots she got $360 on one score, then won the 7th seed in the slot tournament. In the finals she placed 3rd overall, no cash prize but a bag full of goodies.
The MilesCozumel to Miami 561 miles
Day 5
As we docked back in Miami we had a few hours to kill so we decided to take a tour of South Beach.
Miami Skyline
Holocaust Tribute Memorial
Miami Beach
Happy Cinco de Mayo
Cmon' white loafer's I was made for Miami!
Versace Estate
The Carlyle, where the movie Birdcage was filmed
The MilesMiami to South Beach 10 miles
Miami to Philadelphia 1,201 miles
Philadelphia to Macungie 58 miles
3,748 total miles traveled!!!Best part about a vacation sometimes is coming home especially to a silly boy like this.
Oh yeah Cathy got her David Brian ring today ;)
Happy Mother's Day, my love!
