A Week of Firsts, and a Week of Lasts.

Last week was full of some successful sightseeing, and doing some of the things I've meant to do since we arrived in the Caribbean. In Costa Maya, my friend Mike and I went out to see the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben, which consist of several temples. We were pretty much the only ones there, it was a bit drizzly, so we had the place to ourselves. Since no-one was watching, we got to jump the ropes and get an adrenaline rush illegally climbing to the tops of all the pyramids. Don't tell the Mexican government, please. It was awesome.

Then in Roatan, Honduras, a group of 7 of us went on a zip-line course through the jungle. That was a blast....the first jump was the hardest as we had to get a running start off the platform and launch ourselves into the air 328 feet above the ground. I definitely got some butterflies and let out a little scream as I went, but wow what an amazing feeling. It was great to be with a group of my friends as well, away from the ship having fun. The jungle canopy was beautiful, and there were some amazing views to be had from the tops of the hills. On our way back, we were shocked enough by the sight of an Applebees in Honduras that we stopped there for lunch. Well, my friends did....I will admit that I instead ran down the block for a chocolate frosty and meal at Wendy's, and brought it back to sit with my friends in the restaurant. Give me a break, I haven't had a frosty in 6 months! I couldn't resist.

In Cozumel, I got to meet up with an old friend of mine, Danny Silver, who I grew up with in Lake Arrowhead. He and his wife of thee years Nickole were sailing on the Freedom of the Seas, which docks next to us on Fridays. I haven't seen him for about 5 years, so it was great to catch up. And once again recognize what a small world we live in.

One final highlight of last week: Waffles on the bridge with Captain Patrik. The Captain likes to have a little party every week on the bridge for every crew member celebrating a birthday, and for any 2 stripe officers who would like to attend (officially all staff have 2 stripes). I haven't been to the bridge since my first week, and this being Captain Patrik's last week I really wanted to attend. Patrik has been on the Voyager for 2 years, and he will be transferred to the Navigator next week. He has been a great Captain, and really seems to care about the crew. Whenever I happen to be in an elevator with him, he always chats to everyone who is there, asking the cleaners and waiters about their work and their day. I like him a lot. Anyway, they make fresh waffles right there on the bridge, and have a table with all the fixings. I got my waffle, and a picture with the Captain on the bridge. Afterwards I wandered around a little and met Nick, a Bulgarian officer who was on watch, and he showed me around the controls and explained the readouts to me, which was really neat. I sat in the Captain's chair and everything. :-) He also demonstrated how to turn on the spinning radar machine in the front of the ship which you can see from the bridge, and then let me turn it off. I got a kick out of that....nothing beats pushing buttons on the bridge. I loved it.

Today I begin my last week on the Voyager. My "last" everything begins today. Last boat drill, last welcome aboard show, last Captain's Reception, etc. I plan to have a great time with my friends this week, hopefully enjoy doing some new things in the ports as well. I sent another box home today as promised....along with my jacket. Its a nice day today in Galveston, and here's hoping its another warm one when I sign off next week!

The Extended Smith Family

Hello world! I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left on board! I haven't started properly packing yet, but I did mail home a box of stuff today, which felt really good. A pile of clothes, shoes, and books that can wait for me at home, as I really don't need them anymore. I had meant to send home my jacket as well, but this morning Galveston greeted me with a freezing cold front, and I changed my mind. Maybe I'll send it home next week.

I promised I would tell you how the show went with Bold and the Beautiful's Jeff Trachta - and the honest truth (hope he never reads this) is that he is one of those acts that is simply riding on his celebrity status, with no real quality at all. There is plenty of razzle-dazzle, enough to put stars in the eyes of most of the audience members. Only a few people had the decency and dignity to walk out. I certainly wish I could have been one of them. Instead I was stuck with the rest of the band, unseen behind a screen, doubling a horrible clickless backing track for three tunes, and twiddling my thumbs for the remaining 40 minutes of the show. I'm sure there have been times when I have felt just as, if not more, useless - but none of them come to mind.

Lucky for me this week had a redeeming quality - I met an amazing family from Houston on my first day this week, and had the good luck to keep seeing them throughout the week and getting to know them a bit. They are also a Smith family, so I was right at home with this young couple and their two girls, and their grandparents. Towards the end of the week they invited me to come out for a drink with them, and we chatted for a couple of hours. They were really wonderful, and so great to talk to all week. I felt adopted! I only have that kind of experience with guests once in a contract, if ever. So this week was my week!! I had so much fun with them, and hope they come on another cruise with me sometime.