Journal #54 April 29, 2009
Today Meghan and I woke up around 6 and got ready for our volcano climbing trip. I was really excited because this is something that I have never done before. However I was very tired because we stayed up late watching One Tree Hill. I failed to tell you guys that we are addicted to One Tree Hill. We started watching the first season 4 days after Hawaii and now we are on season 4. You can guess what we have been doing on our free time.
When it was time to leave we went to the pier and waited for the bus. The bus was an hour late but it was ok because it was an SAS trip so they took care of it. Our tour guides name was Chickie and he was very cute :) It took us about an hour and half to get there. The last 20 min of the trip were up a mountain top, it was extremely curvy and it was a gravel road. So it was really hard to sleep, but it was an experience. When we got off the bus we were swarmed by 10 year old boys who wanted to sell us walking sticks and give us a taxi drive. The taxi drive was a ride on a mule up the volcano. I thought it would be a good idea for me to get some exercise so I decided to just get the walking stick.
As we walked up the volcano I knew it was going to be a tough hike. It was rocky and steep. I was very grateful that I had my walking stick :) We took several stops and Chickie told us about the Pacaya volcano and showed us some tequila plants and sugar plants. When we were half way up the volcano we go away from the trees and we were able to see the prettiest view. There were Volcanoes on every direction. The clouds were hovering over them so it even more beautiful. We kept walking up the volcano until we came to a place where we had to go down. All of the sudden without even saying anything Chickie ran down the mountain at full speed. It was insane, but it didn’t look like it was too hard. So off I went, I started running full speed. The ash from volcano was about 1 foot deep. So it felt like I was skiing!!! For about half a mile I was running full speed down a very steep volcano. It was awesome!!!!!!!! I got a great video of Meghan and I doing it. I even got Meghan falling, hahaha.
So when we got to the bottom we got to the part where the lava had hardened. It was very pretty looking and because it was so fresh it was very sharp. Chickie told us that we had to climb over it to get to the lava. So for about 2 miles we walked in very sharp hardened lava. A lot of people fell and scratched themselves but thankfully I did not. When lava was in sight I was really excited. It was soo cool looking. I thought that was the closest we were going to get, but no Chickie kept on going. We kept going until we were about 2 feet from the lava. It was super hot!! I could feel my hair sing off. We were able to roast marshmallows over the lava and eat them.
On the way down we noticed a huge river of lava. This river was moving very fast and on either side was surrounded by hardened rock. It was so pretty looking, like it was from National Geographic. When we walked to a free space we stopped to have lunch. The travel company provided us with chips, sandwich, and chips. It was surprisingly very good. There was a stray doggie that was following us so I gave him half of my sandwich. He was actually a very picky eating. He did not eat the cheese and lettuce. You would think that a dog who was very skinny and never got fed was not a picky eater.
When we were about to leave we saw people running down the volcano. The Volcano was erupting and lava was flowing down the mountain. It was then that Chickie told us it was time to head back. It took us about 2 hours to climb and about an hour to climb down. It was very steep climbing down and I fell a couple times :) But I did not hurt myself.
When we got to the bottom we hopped on the bus and headed back to the ship. It was around 3 when we returned so Meghan and I took showers and relaxed. We decided to go back to the restaurant that we had gone to last night. We brought our computers this time because they had free wifi. We stayed at the place for about 4 hours and ate dinner and had some drinks. I got shrimp this time and they were absolutely amazing. The owner was there again and he sat with us for about two hours. He was such an interesting guy and I really enjoyed his company. He told me about his wife and kids and how they always travel to the US. After being there for about three hours the wind picked up very quickly and it started pouring. After about 5 min the power to the restaurant went out and it was pitch black. It was very scary but very fun. On account of this happening the owner gave everyone free drinks!!! When it was time to pay the owner told us that our meal was on him. I was really surprised because we got a $100 tab paid for. When we left we took the shuttle back to the ship and got ready for bed. Of course we watched a couple episodes of One Tree Hill!!!
Love
Michelle
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
P.S. Being drunk, climbing trees, and throwing coconuts at the po-po is not such a great idea
Journal #53 April 28, 2009
I woke up this morning by the alarm going off saying “welcome to Guatemala.” Its our first day here and I am very excited. Today I am going to hang out with Meghan and we are just going to stay around the port. Now at the port we are at there is one main dock that only holds on boat and an industrial port that holds 4 ships that is about a mile away. Our ship was supposed to be at the main port but we were bumped by a ship named “The World.” This ship is a timeshare on the water. People own rooms on the ship and get to choose whenever they want to travel on the ship. It seems so amazing but extremely expensive. The average age on the ship is 65 so I am sure its all the old folks who have the money :) The ship was supposed to be in Mexico during this time but it stayed in Guatemala for an extra week because of the swine flu outbreak. So because of this we had to take shuttles from the ship to the main entrance every single time we got off the ship. It was a little bit of a pain but it worked.
So when we got off the ship we found the first shuttle and hopped on. We had to sit on the bus for 30 min because the port gates were not open. That was a little bit of a pain. When we got to the port there were shops all over the place. We did not go shopping because we had to find an ATM to get money. Of course the nearest bank around was 8 miles, so we had to take a taxi. By the time we got our money and were situated it was lunch time, so we went back to the ship to get lunch. We had planned on going to the beach today but our plans got a little messed up because the beach was closed during the hours of 12-3. They love their siesta time.
So after lunch we rested for a little while and headed back to the main entrance to get a taxi to the beach. On the way another shuttle stopped us and asked if anyone wanted to go to San Jose. San Jose is the closest town to the port. Meghan and I decided to go because it was getting a little cloudy out. When we got to San Jose I was a little scared. It did not seem like a safe place and it was just Meghan and I. We walked along the streets and went to a couple markets. It was crazy because they sold machetes on almost every corner. I was extremely scared. At one point we stopped to look at some pirated DVD’s and this drunken man stared talking to us. You could smell the alcohol from a mile away. He told us how all his family is in the States and that he misses them and wants to come to the US with us. At that point the police came over and took control. We left and went to some more markets and after about 30 min we decided to leave. It was just to scary. When we were leaving we saw the same drunken man climbing a tree to run from the cops, hahha. When he go to safety he started picking coconuts and chucking them at the police, he was hiding the coconuts in his shirt. It was really funny.
When we got back to the port entrance we did a little shopping and after a while we headed to the restaurant that is right by the shops. There were not a lot of people there but it was right on the harbor and had a gorgeous view. We ordered a couple drinks and got some food. After sitting there for a while the owner of the place came over and talked to us. He was a very nice guy and I do not remember his name but I recall it sounding god like. He is Greek. He bought us a couple drinks including an apple beer. It was quite gross. The restaurant actually had free wifi and free international calling. So that got me really excited and I was able to call my family and my boyfriend :) At around 7 we left and headed back to the ship to get some rest. We had to wake up really early the next day to climb a volcano.
Love
Michelle
I woke up this morning by the alarm going off saying “welcome to Guatemala.” Its our first day here and I am very excited. Today I am going to hang out with Meghan and we are just going to stay around the port. Now at the port we are at there is one main dock that only holds on boat and an industrial port that holds 4 ships that is about a mile away. Our ship was supposed to be at the main port but we were bumped by a ship named “The World.” This ship is a timeshare on the water. People own rooms on the ship and get to choose whenever they want to travel on the ship. It seems so amazing but extremely expensive. The average age on the ship is 65 so I am sure its all the old folks who have the money :) The ship was supposed to be in Mexico during this time but it stayed in Guatemala for an extra week because of the swine flu outbreak. So because of this we had to take shuttles from the ship to the main entrance every single time we got off the ship. It was a little bit of a pain but it worked.
So when we got off the ship we found the first shuttle and hopped on. We had to sit on the bus for 30 min because the port gates were not open. That was a little bit of a pain. When we got to the port there were shops all over the place. We did not go shopping because we had to find an ATM to get money. Of course the nearest bank around was 8 miles, so we had to take a taxi. By the time we got our money and were situated it was lunch time, so we went back to the ship to get lunch. We had planned on going to the beach today but our plans got a little messed up because the beach was closed during the hours of 12-3. They love their siesta time.
So after lunch we rested for a little while and headed back to the main entrance to get a taxi to the beach. On the way another shuttle stopped us and asked if anyone wanted to go to San Jose. San Jose is the closest town to the port. Meghan and I decided to go because it was getting a little cloudy out. When we got to San Jose I was a little scared. It did not seem like a safe place and it was just Meghan and I. We walked along the streets and went to a couple markets. It was crazy because they sold machetes on almost every corner. I was extremely scared. At one point we stopped to look at some pirated DVD’s and this drunken man stared talking to us. You could smell the alcohol from a mile away. He told us how all his family is in the States and that he misses them and wants to come to the US with us. At that point the police came over and took control. We left and went to some more markets and after about 30 min we decided to leave. It was just to scary. When we were leaving we saw the same drunken man climbing a tree to run from the cops, hahha. When he go to safety he started picking coconuts and chucking them at the police, he was hiding the coconuts in his shirt. It was really funny.
When we got back to the port entrance we did a little shopping and after a while we headed to the restaurant that is right by the shops. There were not a lot of people there but it was right on the harbor and had a gorgeous view. We ordered a couple drinks and got some food. After sitting there for a while the owner of the place came over and talked to us. He was a very nice guy and I do not remember his name but I recall it sounding god like. He is Greek. He bought us a couple drinks including an apple beer. It was quite gross. The restaurant actually had free wifi and free international calling. So that got me really excited and I was able to call my family and my boyfriend :) At around 7 we left and headed back to the ship to get some rest. We had to wake up really early the next day to climb a volcano.
Love
Michelle
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Another Day at Sea
Journal #52 April 26, 2009
Today was the first day that I had absolutely nothing to do and was able to sleep in. Because I am so drained I slept in until 1pm and then went outside to lay out. It was really crowded out because the sun was shinning and it was hot out. Its about 80 degrees out and the wind was blowing. Today has been the most I have spent outside since Hawaii. Breathing in the fresh air made my mood a lot better.
I am starting to get sick :( A cold is going around on the ship which means of course I am going to get it. It hasn’t been bad but it just drains me. I think getting a lot of sleep last night really helped. The water is really smooth and royal blue today. Its very pretty. Ever since Hawaii the ship has been doing a drive to raise money for students who can not afford SAS. The first sea to get 100% is able to be 2nd off the ship in Ft. Lauderdale. I am happy to say the my sea, The Red Sea, is in first place and only needs 4 more people to donate. I really hope those 4 people hurry up because I would love to be 2nd off the ship!!! I think my family would love that to :)
Well I have realized in the past couple of days how fast this trip has come and gone. As of today we only have 10 days left. It feels like I just got on the ship a week ago and we were headed to Spain. This trip has changed my life in so many ways. I am grateful to my parents and my friends who have supported me through this time. It really does show who cares about you!! One more day and we are in Guatemala!! I am a little nervous because there have been travel advisories all over the country. I am not going to the really bad cities so I am sure I will be safe.
Love
Michelle
Today was the first day that I had absolutely nothing to do and was able to sleep in. Because I am so drained I slept in until 1pm and then went outside to lay out. It was really crowded out because the sun was shinning and it was hot out. Its about 80 degrees out and the wind was blowing. Today has been the most I have spent outside since Hawaii. Breathing in the fresh air made my mood a lot better.
I am starting to get sick :( A cold is going around on the ship which means of course I am going to get it. It hasn’t been bad but it just drains me. I think getting a lot of sleep last night really helped. The water is really smooth and royal blue today. Its very pretty. Ever since Hawaii the ship has been doing a drive to raise money for students who can not afford SAS. The first sea to get 100% is able to be 2nd off the ship in Ft. Lauderdale. I am happy to say the my sea, The Red Sea, is in first place and only needs 4 more people to donate. I really hope those 4 people hurry up because I would love to be 2nd off the ship!!! I think my family would love that to :)
Well I have realized in the past couple of days how fast this trip has come and gone. As of today we only have 10 days left. It feels like I just got on the ship a week ago and we were headed to Spain. This trip has changed my life in so many ways. I am grateful to my parents and my friends who have supported me through this time. It really does show who cares about you!! One more day and we are in Guatemala!! I am a little nervous because there have been travel advisories all over the country. I am not going to the really bad cities so I am sure I will be safe.
Love
Michelle
4 Hour Nap!
Journal #51 April 21, 2009
I have made it through the day with only taking one 4 hour nap!!! I am actually very proud of myself. :) hahaha It is still a little rough out and the sun has not come out yet, but it is warm out. Today I was on pre-school duty. I got to play with the younger kids on the ship. I played a lot with a boy named Barrett. We played soccer and he took most of my spider man stickers. We had a lot of fun together. I have a lot of class work due in the next five days and I am getting a little stressed about it, but I know I can get through it.
Love
Michelle
I have made it through the day with only taking one 4 hour nap!!! I am actually very proud of myself. :) hahaha It is still a little rough out and the sun has not come out yet, but it is warm out. Today I was on pre-school duty. I got to play with the younger kids on the ship. I played a lot with a boy named Barrett. We played soccer and he took most of my spider man stickers. We had a lot of fun together. I have a lot of class work due in the next five days and I am getting a little stressed about it, but I know I can get through it.
Love
Michelle
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sick at Sea
Journal #50 April 20, 2009
Well the seas are pretty rough again and I have been pretty sick :( I have not been sea sick though. Sadly I have slept 19 hours in the past day. My body is aching really bad and it seems that I am unable to get out of bed. I do not know if it is over exhaustion or if I am really sick. I did notice that it is not pretty out so at least I am not missing out on the sun. Well I am tired so I am going to go to bed
Love
Michelle
Well the seas are pretty rough again and I have been pretty sick :( I have not been sea sick though. Sadly I have slept 19 hours in the past day. My body is aching really bad and it seems that I am unable to get out of bed. I do not know if it is over exhaustion or if I am really sick. I did notice that it is not pretty out so at least I am not missing out on the sun. Well I am tired so I am going to go to bed
Love
Michelle
Prime UV Ray Time
Journal #49 April 20, 2009
I was woken up by my phone again this morning. This time is was a text from my boyfriend. I was extremely tired and when I looked at the clock saying 7am I knew I need more sleep. I laid in bed for a while and could not fall back to sleep. So I got up and decided to make some phone calls and get some breakfast.
When I got to breakfast it wasn’t being served, weird. I looked at my phone and it said 11am. My goodness how many times is my alarm not going to go off :( I ran back to the room and woke Meghan up because we were missing out precious UV ray time. We got ready and headed to Waikiki beach with our friends Nicole and Heather. We first stopped and got some lunch at Cheesecake Factory, again. It was even better this time. We then walked to the beach and found a spot to sit and relax. I bought a floatie to lie on in the water, and everyone else just swam. Nicole got a surf lesson and Heather did some shopping.
After a while of laying out me and Meghan went to some markets across the street. I had been to the markets before but I got a couple shirts and hats. We also got some dinner. Meghan got Mexican and I got Greek. My gyro was very yummy. Then we back to the beach to meet the girls and go back to the ship. We took the bus and on the way I talked to two girls from Sweden and Norway. They had been backpacking for 4 months and were on their way to Guatemala. I was intrigued with them and asked them so many questions. Some day I want to do that with my friends.
When we got back to the ship I had mixed emotions, I really wanted to stay, but I also wanted to get to Guatemala. It seems like an awesome place. I got back on the ship and called some people to say goodbye because the next time I can call is in Ft. Lauderdale. I had a lot of fun in Hawaii I just wish I did not hold some of my friends back from doing more touristy stuff. Well we have 7 days at sea and some of those days we have exams so I am going to be a busy girl. I better get studying.
Love
Michelle
I was woken up by my phone again this morning. This time is was a text from my boyfriend. I was extremely tired and when I looked at the clock saying 7am I knew I need more sleep. I laid in bed for a while and could not fall back to sleep. So I got up and decided to make some phone calls and get some breakfast.
When I got to breakfast it wasn’t being served, weird. I looked at my phone and it said 11am. My goodness how many times is my alarm not going to go off :( I ran back to the room and woke Meghan up because we were missing out precious UV ray time. We got ready and headed to Waikiki beach with our friends Nicole and Heather. We first stopped and got some lunch at Cheesecake Factory, again. It was even better this time. We then walked to the beach and found a spot to sit and relax. I bought a floatie to lie on in the water, and everyone else just swam. Nicole got a surf lesson and Heather did some shopping.
After a while of laying out me and Meghan went to some markets across the street. I had been to the markets before but I got a couple shirts and hats. We also got some dinner. Meghan got Mexican and I got Greek. My gyro was very yummy. Then we back to the beach to meet the girls and go back to the ship. We took the bus and on the way I talked to two girls from Sweden and Norway. They had been backpacking for 4 months and were on their way to Guatemala. I was intrigued with them and asked them so many questions. Some day I want to do that with my friends.
When we got back to the ship I had mixed emotions, I really wanted to stay, but I also wanted to get to Guatemala. It seems like an awesome place. I got back on the ship and called some people to say goodbye because the next time I can call is in Ft. Lauderdale. I had a lot of fun in Hawaii I just wish I did not hold some of my friends back from doing more touristy stuff. Well we have 7 days at sea and some of those days we have exams so I am going to be a busy girl. I better get studying.
Love
Michelle
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bonding with the Roommate in Hawaii
Journal #48 April 19, 2009
Today I was woken up at around 5:30am by LISA CALLING MY CELL PHONE!!!! I could not believe that my phone was actually working. You can not believe what it feels like to not use your phone for 3 months and then you can finally use it!!! It is an amazing feeling. Now I must tell you that at around 9pm last night I found out that I did have service in the middle of the ocean, I called Blake but did not have really good reception so I called Brian and talked to him for about 30 min. I talked to my mom and dad for about an hour too!!! It was great to talk to all my loved ones.
The immigrations process was a little tedious in Hawaii, I guess they did not want any illegal immigrants from the ship to escape in Hawaii, haha. But I finally got off the ship at around 10. All of my friends had decided to go to Pearl Harbor and since I have been there twice I decided not to go. So for the first three hours I walked around the port and did a little shopping. The port was definitely the nicest port we had been too. There was a big mall right beside it with some restaurants. Meghan got back first and we got lunch on the ship, it was grilled cheese day :) We did not feel like waiting for the other people so we took the bus to a mall near by to get some groceries. It was great to get some good food and we even looked around the gigantic mall. There was one stand where they sold tee shirts that light up when you talk. It was really cool, and I almost bought one. But I didn’t :(
when we left the mall we headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner. We were not quite sure where we were going but we wanted a good restaurant by the ocean. So we headed towards Waikiki. The first place we saw was Cheesecake Factory. YUMMY!!! I am not gonna lie I was craving my all time favorite salad there. But we walked around and found Dukes which is a popular dinning area. Unfortunately, there was an hour wait so we went back to cheesecake. We shared an appetizer and had some wine. This dinner was a lot of fun because Meghan and I really got to know each other. We had some serious conversations and some funny ones. We even did a little crying, we could not grasp the concept that in 3 weeks we would probably never see each other ever again.
After about 3 hours at Cheesecake we headed to Senor Frogs because a lot of our friends were going to be there. When we walked in the place it was completely dead. There were probably about 3 people in there, we turned right around and headed out. The bouncer stopped us and asked us if we were trying to have some fun. We told him yes and he said to go to Zanzabar. It was only about a block away so we headed there. Now this place was hoppin. It was a lot of fun to hang out with some Hawaiians and we even saw some of our friends there. It was my mission for the night to hook Meghan up with a guy that night. So right when we got there I started my mission. I started talking to the guy beside us and he seemed really nice. He told me he was from Houston and I knew it was fate, because Meghan is from Houston too. I introduced them and they talked for a while. When she asked him to dance he said “honey, I really want to, but my wife is sitting beside me, sorry” Woopsies, my bad. At around 2 we headed back to the ship and got ready for bed. It was a really fun night with Meghan and we were pooped. We had to be rested for our fun filled day on the beach tomorrow.
Love
Michelle
Today I was woken up at around 5:30am by LISA CALLING MY CELL PHONE!!!! I could not believe that my phone was actually working. You can not believe what it feels like to not use your phone for 3 months and then you can finally use it!!! It is an amazing feeling. Now I must tell you that at around 9pm last night I found out that I did have service in the middle of the ocean, I called Blake but did not have really good reception so I called Brian and talked to him for about 30 min. I talked to my mom and dad for about an hour too!!! It was great to talk to all my loved ones.
The immigrations process was a little tedious in Hawaii, I guess they did not want any illegal immigrants from the ship to escape in Hawaii, haha. But I finally got off the ship at around 10. All of my friends had decided to go to Pearl Harbor and since I have been there twice I decided not to go. So for the first three hours I walked around the port and did a little shopping. The port was definitely the nicest port we had been too. There was a big mall right beside it with some restaurants. Meghan got back first and we got lunch on the ship, it was grilled cheese day :) We did not feel like waiting for the other people so we took the bus to a mall near by to get some groceries. It was great to get some good food and we even looked around the gigantic mall. There was one stand where they sold tee shirts that light up when you talk. It was really cool, and I almost bought one. But I didn’t :(
when we left the mall we headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner. We were not quite sure where we were going but we wanted a good restaurant by the ocean. So we headed towards Waikiki. The first place we saw was Cheesecake Factory. YUMMY!!! I am not gonna lie I was craving my all time favorite salad there. But we walked around and found Dukes which is a popular dinning area. Unfortunately, there was an hour wait so we went back to cheesecake. We shared an appetizer and had some wine. This dinner was a lot of fun because Meghan and I really got to know each other. We had some serious conversations and some funny ones. We even did a little crying, we could not grasp the concept that in 3 weeks we would probably never see each other ever again.
After about 3 hours at Cheesecake we headed to Senor Frogs because a lot of our friends were going to be there. When we walked in the place it was completely dead. There were probably about 3 people in there, we turned right around and headed out. The bouncer stopped us and asked us if we were trying to have some fun. We told him yes and he said to go to Zanzabar. It was only about a block away so we headed there. Now this place was hoppin. It was a lot of fun to hang out with some Hawaiians and we even saw some of our friends there. It was my mission for the night to hook Meghan up with a guy that night. So right when we got there I started my mission. I started talking to the guy beside us and he seemed really nice. He told me he was from Houston and I knew it was fate, because Meghan is from Houston too. I introduced them and they talked for a while. When she asked him to dance he said “honey, I really want to, but my wife is sitting beside me, sorry” Woopsies, my bad. At around 2 we headed back to the ship and got ready for bed. It was a really fun night with Meghan and we were pooped. We had to be rested for our fun filled day on the beach tomorrow.
Love
Michelle
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