.. planes, planes and more planes. did i mention planes? ..

the last stop on our cruise was to st. maarten. cody had done alot of research on this island and couldn't wait until we could get there. if we could have stayed there the whole time i am sure he would have loved it. we woke up around 7 and ate breakfast and were off the boat as soon as they would let us. 9am. we found a taxi driver that would take us to the infamous beach, Maho beach. he drove us around the island to the french side, this island is half and half one side is dutch the other french. he dropped us off at the beach around 10 and we stayed there until 2p. yeah, lived there you could say. here is why.. 

{welcome to st. maarten!}

cody, as you know is a pilot and studying to be one so naturally this would be the ultimate island/ beach for him. so we stayed there all day.


{m* & cody waiting for the plane}

lucky for us girls the beach and water were way nice and so it wasn't terrible being there for a while. we watched about a million planes land and take off, ok probably like 20 but still.. a lot.


{girls r to l c*, e* & me}



{we could hear it and didn't know how close it was until right after this picture}


{side view so you can see how close it gets..}

 the boys even got daring and went and held onto the fence when the planes took off and got sand blasted in the process. goofballs. after being there the better part of the day we left.


{board is updated daily with the flights coming in}

 we stopped at a mcdonald's there cause we were all hungry and needed to decide what to do. m* and e* wanted to go to a nude beach and t* and c* wanted to get on the ship and cody and i just wanted to shop. so we were tossed. well we asked the cab driver if he could take t* and c* to the boat and then just drop cody and i off near town and we would walk and then drive m* and e* to the nude beach. sounded great, until we hit traffic. we sat for a while in just a line of cars waiting to get out of the town. they only had a one lane road so no way to side track that one.


{girls in the back of the van!}

so, after debate m* and e* decided it wasn't worth the risk of being late to the boat to go see the beach. so we found another flea market and they got out with us. t* and c* went back to the boat. we shopped for about 45 minutes. way cool shopping, i wish we had more time there. we started to walk back and then realized that we had about 15 minutes to get on board.


{took this right before warning honk}

we entered the harbor and heard the ship honk giving us a warning to get on in 10 minutes or they were leaving. so we ran. we made it on, barely. after getting on we headed straight for the pools and showers to get all the sand off from maho. after we dipped in the pool we showered up for dinner.

tonight was a special night, it was our last dinner on the ship. we had grown to really like mario and jr. they were awesome. predicted our needs and were fun to add to it. so we decided to give them an extra tip on top of what we were charged for already. when the guys pulled out money to give to them, mario started to cry. he didn't want to take it but we told him we wanted him to have it. he told us that it meant a lot and he was so grateful for it. it touched my heart, i felt so bad. he has a family and kids that live in nicaragua that he never gets to see because he is on the ship and he just sends money for them to live. how sad! so we were all emotional. after this we decided to cheer up with another stop at the comedy club. after an half hour show cody and i headed back to the room to pack. our flight we were trying to catch left at 11 and we had to be off the boat by 8 to make it in time. so we packed and hit the hay. we got up the next morning around 6.

we did the self assist off the boat which was nice cause we each only had a backpack and a carry on bag. however some people trying to get off with us had like 17 bags and kids, what were they thinking. the cruise offered to take your luggage off and have it for you when you got off. should have done that crazy lady. we found a cab to take us to the airport and got there around 7:30. we got through all the customs and what not and to the gates. we realized there were two flights that left at 9 and 9:30 that we could try and catch. so we decided to try for it. we missed the atlanta flight, it was full and ended up making the NYC flight, yep 3 weeks in a row in new york. love my life. we didn't get to sit next to each other but that is alright. we made it to new york and ran straight to the direct flight to salt lake. it was pretty tight and some how we both made it on and sat next to each other. what are the odds? we got home around 6 and to our house by 7. it was so nice to be home but i seriously missed the vacation.

so we highly recommend a cruise if you haven't been on one. it rocked. we for sure will be doing another one!

.. take a picture, it will only cost you $20 ..

so since i had bad heat rash and the last day of the cruise was st. maarten and cody was dying to go there we decided that on st. kitts we would stay out of the sun and have an easy day so my heat rash would go away or drop a bunch so i could have more fun on st. maarten. so e*,m*, t* and c* all went to a beach and we stayed close to the ship.



we got off and walked around the shops there. immediately a guy with 2 baby monkeys walks up and drops them in cody's arms. he tells us to take a picture.



so we do, then he takes them and moves them a few more times and more pictures,




then he puts them on me.


oh yeah, nice. the little on clenched on to my boob, nice and the older one went for my earrings.





what the? the guy took them back and then told us we owed him $20. for reals? lame-o. cody paid it although not sure why we gave him $20. any how we walked around the marina and shopped a bit. we stopped at a handmade ice cream parlor and got a scoop. really good ice cream!

{cody also go a lime soda, he said it was the best the whole trip}

after the ice cream we shopped a bit more






{cody read this as "comin" powder and laughed for a good 5 minutes in the store, perv}

and then went back on the boat. we decided to take a nap and ended up sleeping for 2 hours, but it was so nice! we got up and ready for dinner and met the rest of the gang at the dining room. we ate and somehow the girls got duped into doing a dance with the waiters, something they did every night. our waiter mario thought it was fun to pick on us and have us dance with him every night. so he would pick either a person, the guys or the girls. it was our night. so we danced and laughed the whole time. too funny!!

after dinner we decided to try the comedy show, the previous comedians had gotten off the boat in barbados and st. lucia and there were a few nights we didn't have one there. so we decided to try them. the dude sucked so bad, no one in the whole club laughed at his jokes. too sad. we got up and left about 10 minutes in. we decided we would go to the magic show in the theater. the magician is named rand woodbury. he was actually pretty good and funny to watch. the show was about an hour and a half and great. after the show we walked on all the decks and checked out the mini golf they had on the top of the boat. c* and i went to level 3 and walked out there where the water was close and lit a nice blue. 

then it was time to hit the hay cause the next day was st. maarten and i had already been told we were to be up and going by 6:30 so we could be off as soon as they would let us..

.. are you serious? i'm gonna die ..

alright so before we went on our cruise we booked one excursion. they are kind of pricey and we didn't want to do them every where but we decided that in st. lucia we would go ziplining. i have to admit i was so excited for this day.

since we had zip lining we had to be off the boat and to our meeting spot by 8:30. so we got up early ate in the dining room and went off the boat. I had taken a benadryl and was wearing ice packs to keep my arms cool. we sat down and filled out our forms, you know like safety things and what not. we then were put on a bus and taken to the top of the mountain.


{on the bus}
our bus driver was neat and told us all about natural remedies you could do to solve illnesses and what not. he was very into the homeopathic stuff. kind of fun. it was about a 30-45 minute drive to the top. we got up there and had to get all geared out. pretty cute huh?

after we got loaded up we were split into groups of 10 and given 2 guides.


{cody & i at the base of the zip lines}


{erica and me getting psyched or scared..}


{boys all geared up}

we had to do a test zip to teach us how to stop and all that jazz. i was so nervous. one of our guides linus, (pronounced lin - us, not like the charlie brown kid) told me i had nothing to worry about and he would help me. and turns out i loved it. we spent the next 3 hours zip lining through the rainforest.


{mid zip line, that gear weighed a good 10 pounds..}

we did come to a tarzan swing. yes swing. you were connected to this rope that was being shredded at the top, nice, and told to run and jump off the platform and you would make it to the other side. um, scary i think so. we did watch one good moment though, a woman before us ran clean into the tree on the other side. hilarious.


{what the.. first scare of the zips}

talk about rad. then came the scary  part. the second the last zip you have to repel down a tree to get to the platform. it was about 60-70 feet down. straight down. and here is the catch. you don't control your stop, you hold onto your harness. the person at the bottom stops you. oh and did i mention the platform is held onto the trees by wires drilled into the top of the tree so it shakes when people walk on it. e* and i were terrified. the boys went first and then it was us, e* couldn't do it so i went first, even though i am terrified of heights. i walked up to the hole in the platform and was tied in. the guide told me to sit in my harness and then hold on around my waist. i looked at him and asked, are you serious? he told me yes, and laughed. i got in and before i got any warning i was dropped. i screamed the whole way down and got a nice mouth full of rope fuzz in there. nice. we finished up and headed back down the mountain.


{us after the last zip. i was covered in rope fuzz here}

when we got to port we found a cabbie to take us to a beach. we were also found by a pothead with a conk shell that was in our face, and funny enough another street vendor saw him and walked up and knocked him out of our face and told him to leave us alone. too funny. 

we went to a giant flea market in town. we got a few things including cocoa sticks. straight up chocolate from the tree. smelt so good. after about an hour of walking in there and being followed by a mugger, longer story, we left and went to rodney bay. not the prettiest beach but it was secluded which was nice.

{at the beach}

the boys decided they wanted to jet ski so e* and i just stayed on the towels and let them ride for about 30 minutes, except they didn't get 30 minutes only 20.



 m*'s jet ski broke down in the middle of the ocean about a mile off shore. so cody came back to tell the guy that he was stuck and they still had 10 minutes, the guy told him he didn't and then left to get matson. yep we were robbed our of $40 for  20 minutes of riding. retarded. we got back to the ship and it was elegant night again. so we got all dressed up and went and ate. it was nice. we loved our waiter, seriously rad dude. 

after dinner e* and c* wanted to try roulette so we went to the casino. when we got there cody decided to play again and lost $50 in the first 5 minutes. ahh! we ended up getting more ice and going back to the room since my arms were swollen and itchy! we got room service dessert and watched a movie and called it a night. 

tomorrow we were in.. st. kitts

.. do you know how to swim? ..

so we decided to get up early and get on the island quick. we had heard the beaches here were great and that we would want to spend a good chunk of time there. so we got up early and ate breakfast in the dining room. again superior breakfast. I almost wonder why people even go to the buffets. crazy if you ask me. right as we got off there was a steel drum band, really rad. sounds so neat in person. we started to walk towards town. Now.. side note, we had decided to walk every where we could that was close to save money on cab fares and besides you get to see cool stuff. but regardless the cabbies think you are their only fare and they will die if they don't get you. honestly.

so we walked out of the pier and immediately were attacked by like 15 cabbies all trying to sell us a tour around the island and taking us to beaches etc. we weren't doing it. it seriously was so scary. after we made it past them we got into town. it was run down and so 3rd world it was nuts. we stopped in a bookstore to get a post card and were able to buy a postcard and stamps for $1.20. Cheap! especially for international postage. while we were in there a young boy about 5 saw our american money and asked what it was, we told him it was money from america. he was so shocked, so m* gave him a $1 bill and he just lit up. it was like 5 dollars there. cute.



we continued on to broad street and looked at the local shops and ended up at a flea market. it was pretty neat. afterwards we decided to hit up a beach. so we found a cabbie to take us to bathsheba beach. he looked at us like we were nuts but took us anyway. the drive was about 40 minutes, and he showed us some of the land too.


{in the van..}


{m* and e* in the back of the bus}

they grow sugar cane there, and apparently they also grow marijuana inbetween the sugar cane because police don't look there. then the cabbie asked us if we wanted some, he knew how to get it and he had just gotten high that morning.


{sugar cane fields}

 great. warm fuzzies on that. we got to the beach, it was nice and pretty, but rocky. our cabbie asked if we knew how to swim because the waves and current were strong and he would not swim out to save us. we all laughed. and told him we did. the waves were nothing compared to waves in hawaii or san diego. too funny. after about an hour there walking in tide pools and looking for shells we decided to go to a better beach.


{crab shells}


{me and t* with our shells}


{car ride to rodney bay.. you claim you never sleep in cars erica, i beg to differ!}


{don't worry they sleep as a couple apparently..}

 we ended up at carlisle bay. SOO pretty the sands are white and the water is teal so clear, oo i miss it. we swam for a while, and played in the sand. t* and c* went to meet the couple missionaries to deliver a package to her brother who was serving in the area so while they were gone we built a sand turtle


{boys with sand turtle}


{girls with sand turtle}


 and the boys buried me and erica in the sand.



at about 3:30 we decided to start back to the ship. turns out the beach we went to was only about a mile from the ship, right across the street from the bookstore we had stopped at that morning. too funny! so we walked back and got on board and showered up. we ate dinner and then went to a juggling show, battle of the sexes game and bingo in the theater. it was fun. i had unfortunately developed a heat rash from being in the sun. i had to stop at the ships medical unit and have it checked out. they told me to put ice on it, put a cooling itch gel they gave me on it and stay out of the sun. nice huh? i'm on a cruise in the caribbean and you want me out of the sun? ha! so we got ice at the buffet in plastic bags and i took a benadryl and went to bed. cody got room service, which is free on the ship so nice, and we watched a movie.

the next day.. st. lucia

.. the great blue sea ..

okay so sea day = fun and relaxing. i thought it was going to = lame. surprise. we slept in late that morning and then met e*& m* for breakfast in the dining room. it was so good and way better than the buffet so we decided from then on we were eating there. after breakfast and some chatter we decided we were ready for a nap. i know what you are thinking we just woke up, but we were tired and our room had no windows so it was nice and dark. perfect napping conditions. after a nap we went out to the deck and watched ice carving and the hairy man competition. um ewww. gross.


{back of the boat}


{mini golf}

 we then decided we would ride the slide on the lido deck, it was actually pretty fun. then we decided to lay out. we pulled up our chairs and got comfy. cody took a nap and e*, m* and i all read our books. so nice.


{lido deck}

after we read a bit, cody and i decided to hit the shops on the boat and see what was there. so we went around. we got a candy bar to split and checked out all the drunk people buying oodles of jewelry. too funny. after we had to get ready for elegant night. 

{hanging out with the casino dragon}

so we showered and got all prettied up and met everyone around 5:30 for pictures. dinner that night was great. I had a filet mignon and cody had 3 lobster tails, yes 3. after all that food we were ready for some good entertainment. so we went to the caribbean lounge ( huge 3 story theater in the back of the boat) and watched a dance show.

{the caribbean lounge}

 kinda cool, but kind of las vegas show girls. after the show we left for the comedy club and watched percy cruze II again, so funny. after that the next comedian was lame so we left and went and played cards. way fun. then cody and i went to watch the magician again, he had a few repeats but mostly new stuff. after that we went to bed. the boys however decided to have a BNO and went and ate at the buffet and then played roulette, poor t* lost all he bet. no good.

the next day.. barbados