Cruise to Mexico!

Adam and I needed a much needed break from life for a bit and could not pass up a four day cruise to Mexico that we saw on Travelzoo. We had never taken a cruise before, so it was nice to experience it together and with just the right amount of time. I was off work from UCSB, Adam only had to take two slow days off from work and Nana and Pappy were more than willing to take our little man for the week. (Thanks guys! xo)

When we got there we realized that we left our passports at home. Not a good way to start the trip. The lady who was checking us in laughed in our faces and thought we were joking....nope. After checking with her supervisor, they let us on and said that we might get extra questions from customs on returning from Mexico, but "welcome aboard!" PHEW!

We saw some great comedy shows on the ship, ate way too much (as expcted), slept in and just relaxed. We spent a few hours in Catalina just walking around on day number two. It was a cute little town, lots of shops, but probably a better time in the summer.

A seagul was greeting us to the island :)There's our tiny ship from Catalina.Ensenada, Mexico was day 3. We walked around the town which is full of shops and street vendors trying to reel you in. Yuck. We decided to take a bus tour to "La Bufadora" (one of the three natural blow holes in the world). It was a fun little 45 minute bus drive on twisty roads. Once we got there, we were guided through (my interpretation of) a "Mexican strip mall" of people bombarding us with cheap trinkets and churros. The craziness ended when we got to the blow hole (that didn't seem to be blowing while we were there there).

It was peaceful and beautiful over looking the ocean. We hung out there for a bit before heading back for a quick lunch of below par fish tacos and overly sweet margaritas (one being virgin of course).
Before heading back to the bus for our departure time I was swindled into buying some horrible fake "vanilla extract." I was tired and wasn't thinking straight. Adam got some nice cocktail glasses and a toy for Owen. When we got off the bus I noticed a military vehicle parked on the corner with armed men holding machine guns standing up in the back of the truck. Adam said this was to "make us feel safer"...whatever. I couldn't wait to get back on the ship and get in the hot tub! Ensenada is a place I have no desire to return to. Not to sound so negative about the whole thing, I just have yet to find the nice part of Mexico that people are always talking about. I have only been to Mexico twice...maybe the third time is the charm?

Here we are getting wild and crazy at an empty bar with my non-alcoholic margarita (that actually tasted good as it was made with fresh lime juice) served in a Pepsi cup! Whooooo Hooooo, Viva La Fiesta!Every night they had a turn down service and made the cutest little animals out of towels on the bed. Not sure what animal this was supposed to be, but Adam made him look even cuter with the mini guitar and hat : )Adam is going to kill me for putting this picture on here, but he was making me laugh so hard, I had to share it : ) This is Owen's sombrero we brought back for him (he wears it around the house all the time now!)Day four was at sea. We hit the gym, ran the track (had to work off all those desserts!), and relaxed on the chaise lounge chairs reading our books. It was so nice. Relaxation at it's finest.I didn't really miss Owen until this day, and then all of a sudden around dinner time, I couldn't wait to jump off the ship and give him a huge squeeze the next day!

When we finally got home to see Owen, he was not quite as happy to see me as I was to see him. Though he had an amazing time with his grandparents, I think he was a little pissed that we left him for 4 days! : ( It took about 10-15 minutes or so for him to warm up, then he was full of hugs and love for the rest of the night.



The End.