One April month
It was a one-of-a-kind trip cycle, if there’s such a phrase as that as my good-natured Filipina friend and I flew down to South Florida from the Northeast. We went around the place by land. Then we crossed the sea on board a cruise ship to Bahamas. We went back to Florida on cruise, toured the city by land again before heading back home by plane. It all happened in three different places for seven nights and eight days.
One nature tripping day
Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL last April 14-17 was mostly spent on nature tripping.
My friend and I went to a fishing port somewhere in Palm Beach Shore; we had a chance to see different kinds and sizes of fishes in the open sea aquarium while looking at them from the boardwalk. The experience was like snorkeling without getting wet or seeing them in a glass bottom boat minus the boat ride.
There were fishing boats for rent and a lot of yachts on deck. There was even a family of four who went out fishing and came back with different sizes of kingfishes. The heaviest weighed 55 lbs. Hmm, I wonder how many hours they waited to catch that many ...
We also went to Sawgrass Recreation Park to experience an air-boat tour with an unexpected incident. No, we never got a chance to see alligators, thank God! But we were stranded on a marsh, somewhere in one of the tour’s usual routes.
At first, I thought the captain was kidding around but when I heard that he called for SOS on his three-way radio then it suddenly dawned on me that he’s telling the truth. Was I scared? No. My friend and I even laughed out loud because of my delayed reaction. Also, of the 25 people onboard, only one complained while the rest were thrilled about our mini-adventure.
After 10 minutes, help came however, the two rescuers on board the second airboat took sometime maneuvering their boat. Their attempt to be near us by inches was to no avail. Finally, they decided to bring out scrapped pieces of approximately 5x10 to 5x15 meters sized woods.
Once the five wooden make-shift bridges were properly lined and settled on top the marsh, everyone crossed the bridge silently, one at a time. After the last person boarded the rescue air-boat, everyone cheered. Later on, we found out that we were the third group to be stranded that week due to the low tide.
Our tour went on smoothly and ended on land with live exhibits of snakes, turtles and alligators plus a photo and video of my friend holding a younger gator. Me? I was hiding behind the lens. Honestly, except for turtles, all other kinds of reptiles weren’t my cup of tea.
After our wildlife exposure, we went to Flamingo Gardens. It wasn’t as spectacular as Disney World but it was another alternative for a lesser crowd and more peaceful tour with rainforest, closer encounters with peacocks, flamingos, herons, among feathered animals; turtles and iguanas among the reptiles on the loose except for automated fenced gators. Thank God no crawling pythons were sighted as well.
One Bahama Mama weekend
Last April 17-20, Bahamas Celebration was our next destination.
On board the ship, we were first greeted by Alfred, a fellow Filipino or kabayan, who kindly carried our luggage and escorted us to cabin 6210, our haven for the entire cruise. We learned from him that the ship comprised of 75% Filipino oversea workers. And because there were many of us Filipinos on board, Tina, my friend, mistook someone as one of us only to find out he’s not. Since then, she would look at the crew’s name tag before talking to any one of them.
The cruise ship was filled with tourists from all walks of life with one common goal: to have fun. On the other hand, too much fun could also cause some trouble. I learned it the hard way.
I did one of the foolish things I shouldn’t be doing. My past medical history tells I’m not supposed to have any minute drops of alcohol intake in my body system. But I was tempted to take a sip of Bahama mama – a rum punch – to kick-off the trip.
While the ship started its course, I was busy taking snapshots of the beautiful ocean scenery. Little did I know that my once glass-filled 8 ounce punch was almost half-empty until I heard my last slurp. Oops!
The sea breeze camouflaged what I was about to feel in the next few minutes. I felt the wind chills. I decided to head back to cabin 6210.
At that time, the ocean was rough which caused the ship to sway back and forth. But my pace was more than the ship’s rocky motion. I started to feel tipsy. I suddenly felt my face turn red and I was nauseated. Red flag!
After several bouts in the cabin sink, I had a terrible headache. Rest was my only relief. My poor friend stayed with me until I felt better. It's a good thing she's a nurse, I was in good hands in other words.
After my power nap, I promised myself never to ever allow another sweet sounding punch drink to ruin my day. Nevertheless, despite what I felt, I still went out for a late dinner with my friend. Food was free so I took chances.
After dinner, Tina and I spent the entire evening watching dance contests on stage. As it was nearing its end, we eventually joined a line dance with the rest of the group. The night almost went well until I suddenly felt sporadic stings on my already warm back. I knew then that it was the effect of the punch I drank earlier.
But I also remembered what I ate for my appetizer, entree and main dish: shrimp, calamares and fish. Lo and behold, I have superimposed skin allergies!
It was too late to realize that my immune system wasn’t functioning well and I’m into my hypersensitive-skin mode triggered by anything from food intake to sun-exposure. Oh Lord please forgive me for my thoughtlessness!
As the saying goes, the worst patients are the doctors themselves. Yes, I thought of surviving the night without taking any medications against allergy at all since alcohol and drugs won’t work together anyway. Well, sleepless in cabin 6210 was the end result except that it wasn’t a heart-matter but a skin-matter!
But I did not let my next day in Nassau, Bahamas be ruined by my own foolishness. Between a choice of the side-effect of drowsiness and itchiness, I chose not to take any antihistamine meds while on tour; I saved the tablets for the next nights instead. Because of that wise decision, I was able to forget my misery by day and slept well by night. Thank God!
Sipping Bahama mama was a bad choice I know but I took everything with a grain of salt. I think I also needed to experience that kind of humbling moment to remind me of how vulnerable I am. I also considered it as a blessing in disguise because I was forced not to eat too much but despite that I still gained a few pounds so how much more if I haven't had it? Or to expose my already sensitive blotchy skin to the tempting 82 degree Fahrenheit weather.
As to our city tour, it was an educational one. Nature blessed Nassau with beautiful beaches, rich marine ecology and interesting cultural history from the British, Spanish and Americans. Life’s laid-back down there but disparity of social classes was evident as seen on the various types of community houses.
Three things to remember when driving in Nassau according to David, our limousine driver were: slow, stop and reverse. Another interesting discovery was the casino establishments however, locals weren’t allowed to gamble, only tourists because of their Christian faith. Yes, gambling wasn’t part of our agenda either.
In most of my travels, I was either mistaken as Chinese or Vietnamese (even Korean) but I was surprised to note that in Nassau, I was identified correctly when one native casually said to me, “You Miss Phillipino (Filipino)? You’re beautiful.” I was trained not to talk to strangers so I pretended not to hear him nor did I take a second look at him as I quickly looked for my friend. Whew!
A few encounters with the foreign crew either made me raise my eyebrows or made me smile:
“You from the Philippines?” asked one Indonesian waiter.
“Yes.” I replied as I stood up after a dinner buffet.
“I'd like to see the Philippines someday to look for a wife like you.” he continued.
“Well then good luck.” I ended as I quickly found my way to the exit door. Haha!
In a sit-down dinner incident this time, after a hearty-dessert, the waiter of an African descent asked me, “Tapos ka na?”
I was surprised to hear him speak in Tagalog so I replied, “Opo salamat po. Masarap ang pagkain at ang tsa-a.”
He just smiled back and said nothing. I grinned as I wondered if he really understood what I said.
Even the doctor on duty was a Filipino, I was told. But since I already self-medicated myself with over-the-counter antihistamine tablets sold on board, I did not see the need to ask for a second medical opinion anymore.
Besides, I was already feeling better especially when Marius, our good-looking cabin steward, greets me with his Italian-accent of “Good morning madam” and “Good evening madam” greetings or “Did I scare you madam?” when he came from out-of-nowhere one time while I was in deep thought walking along the sixth leveled corridors.
He even tried to say "Kumusta ka madam” in his allegro voice. Well, I almost asked him if he has a single older brother who’s good-looking as him but after my Bahama mama incident, I told myself never to act like a fool again. And so my question about finding a prospect ended up with an ellipsis instead by saying. “Fine, thank you.”
One universal day
Back in US mainland, our last stop in Florida was in Orlando for two nights in April 20-22. We were tired on our first day after traveling from Fort Lauderdale where the port area was located to our last destination which was in Orlando. We spent more time on the road because we got lost looking for our destined hotel. My friend’s GPS didn’t work well or was it because I wasn’t just familiar with the non-Garmin gadget?
On our second day, we were given complimentary tickets to spend a day at Universal Studios. And so, just like any feeling care-free kids in town, we played with the hit-me-hard games, rode the simulated rides, ate a lot of creamy sweets, and took snapshots of us posing in anything that catches our fancy eyes.
Our last day was at the Orlando International airport on bound for the Northeast coast. Whether it was a first time to travel with no kids in tow or for the nth time, Tina and I cherished every moment, good or bad, keeping an open-mind and thankful we went on vacation together!
In between our air-land-sea trips was another adventure trip in mind for this coming late summer at Abu Dhabi. And we’re glad I wouldn’t be tempted to drink alcoholic beverages since it’s banned to be served in the Middle East. Also, we won’t be concerned of getting any sunburn since skin exposure is prohibited as well.
Meanwhile, I'm back to reality as I dream for another out-of-state trip ...
One nature tripping day
Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL last April 14-17 was mostly spent on nature tripping.
My friend and I went to a fishing port somewhere in Palm Beach Shore; we had a chance to see different kinds and sizes of fishes in the open sea aquarium while looking at them from the boardwalk. The experience was like snorkeling without getting wet or seeing them in a glass bottom boat minus the boat ride.
There were fishing boats for rent and a lot of yachts on deck. There was even a family of four who went out fishing and came back with different sizes of kingfishes. The heaviest weighed 55 lbs. Hmm, I wonder how many hours they waited to catch that many ...
We also went to Sawgrass Recreation Park to experience an air-boat tour with an unexpected incident. No, we never got a chance to see alligators, thank God! But we were stranded on a marsh, somewhere in one of the tour’s usual routes.
At first, I thought the captain was kidding around but when I heard that he called for SOS on his three-way radio then it suddenly dawned on me that he’s telling the truth. Was I scared? No. My friend and I even laughed out loud because of my delayed reaction. Also, of the 25 people onboard, only one complained while the rest were thrilled about our mini-adventure.
After 10 minutes, help came however, the two rescuers on board the second airboat took sometime maneuvering their boat. Their attempt to be near us by inches was to no avail. Finally, they decided to bring out scrapped pieces of approximately 5x10 to 5x15 meters sized woods.
Once the five wooden make-shift bridges were properly lined and settled on top the marsh, everyone crossed the bridge silently, one at a time. After the last person boarded the rescue air-boat, everyone cheered. Later on, we found out that we were the third group to be stranded that week due to the low tide.
Our tour went on smoothly and ended on land with live exhibits of snakes, turtles and alligators plus a photo and video of my friend holding a younger gator. Me? I was hiding behind the lens. Honestly, except for turtles, all other kinds of reptiles weren’t my cup of tea.
After our wildlife exposure, we went to Flamingo Gardens. It wasn’t as spectacular as Disney World but it was another alternative for a lesser crowd and more peaceful tour with rainforest, closer encounters with peacocks, flamingos, herons, among feathered animals; turtles and iguanas among the reptiles on the loose except for automated fenced gators. Thank God no crawling pythons were sighted as well.
One Bahama Mama weekend
Last April 17-20, Bahamas Celebration was our next destination.
On board the ship, we were first greeted by Alfred, a fellow Filipino or kabayan, who kindly carried our luggage and escorted us to cabin 6210, our haven for the entire cruise. We learned from him that the ship comprised of 75% Filipino oversea workers. And because there were many of us Filipinos on board, Tina, my friend, mistook someone as one of us only to find out he’s not. Since then, she would look at the crew’s name tag before talking to any one of them.
The cruise ship was filled with tourists from all walks of life with one common goal: to have fun. On the other hand, too much fun could also cause some trouble. I learned it the hard way.
I did one of the foolish things I shouldn’t be doing. My past medical history tells I’m not supposed to have any minute drops of alcohol intake in my body system. But I was tempted to take a sip of Bahama mama – a rum punch – to kick-off the trip.
While the ship started its course, I was busy taking snapshots of the beautiful ocean scenery. Little did I know that my once glass-filled 8 ounce punch was almost half-empty until I heard my last slurp. Oops!
The sea breeze camouflaged what I was about to feel in the next few minutes. I felt the wind chills. I decided to head back to cabin 6210.
At that time, the ocean was rough which caused the ship to sway back and forth. But my pace was more than the ship’s rocky motion. I started to feel tipsy. I suddenly felt my face turn red and I was nauseated. Red flag!
After several bouts in the cabin sink, I had a terrible headache. Rest was my only relief. My poor friend stayed with me until I felt better. It's a good thing she's a nurse, I was in good hands in other words.
After my power nap, I promised myself never to ever allow another sweet sounding punch drink to ruin my day. Nevertheless, despite what I felt, I still went out for a late dinner with my friend. Food was free so I took chances.
After dinner, Tina and I spent the entire evening watching dance contests on stage. As it was nearing its end, we eventually joined a line dance with the rest of the group. The night almost went well until I suddenly felt sporadic stings on my already warm back. I knew then that it was the effect of the punch I drank earlier.
But I also remembered what I ate for my appetizer, entree and main dish: shrimp, calamares and fish. Lo and behold, I have superimposed skin allergies!
It was too late to realize that my immune system wasn’t functioning well and I’m into my hypersensitive-skin mode triggered by anything from food intake to sun-exposure. Oh Lord please forgive me for my thoughtlessness!
As the saying goes, the worst patients are the doctors themselves. Yes, I thought of surviving the night without taking any medications against allergy at all since alcohol and drugs won’t work together anyway. Well, sleepless in cabin 6210 was the end result except that it wasn’t a heart-matter but a skin-matter!
But I did not let my next day in Nassau, Bahamas be ruined by my own foolishness. Between a choice of the side-effect of drowsiness and itchiness, I chose not to take any antihistamine meds while on tour; I saved the tablets for the next nights instead. Because of that wise decision, I was able to forget my misery by day and slept well by night. Thank God!
Sipping Bahama mama was a bad choice I know but I took everything with a grain of salt. I think I also needed to experience that kind of humbling moment to remind me of how vulnerable I am. I also considered it as a blessing in disguise because I was forced not to eat too much but despite that I still gained a few pounds so how much more if I haven't had it? Or to expose my already sensitive blotchy skin to the tempting 82 degree Fahrenheit weather.
As to our city tour, it was an educational one. Nature blessed Nassau with beautiful beaches, rich marine ecology and interesting cultural history from the British, Spanish and Americans. Life’s laid-back down there but disparity of social classes was evident as seen on the various types of community houses.
Three things to remember when driving in Nassau according to David, our limousine driver were: slow, stop and reverse. Another interesting discovery was the casino establishments however, locals weren’t allowed to gamble, only tourists because of their Christian faith. Yes, gambling wasn’t part of our agenda either.
In most of my travels, I was either mistaken as Chinese or Vietnamese (even Korean) but I was surprised to note that in Nassau, I was identified correctly when one native casually said to me, “You Miss Phillipino (Filipino)? You’re beautiful.” I was trained not to talk to strangers so I pretended not to hear him nor did I take a second look at him as I quickly looked for my friend. Whew!
A few encounters with the foreign crew either made me raise my eyebrows or made me smile:
“You from the Philippines?” asked one Indonesian waiter.
“Yes.” I replied as I stood up after a dinner buffet.
“I'd like to see the Philippines someday to look for a wife like you.” he continued.
“Well then good luck.” I ended as I quickly found my way to the exit door. Haha!
In a sit-down dinner incident this time, after a hearty-dessert, the waiter of an African descent asked me, “Tapos ka na?”
I was surprised to hear him speak in Tagalog so I replied, “Opo salamat po. Masarap ang pagkain at ang tsa-a.”
He just smiled back and said nothing. I grinned as I wondered if he really understood what I said.
Even the doctor on duty was a Filipino, I was told. But since I already self-medicated myself with over-the-counter antihistamine tablets sold on board, I did not see the need to ask for a second medical opinion anymore.
Besides, I was already feeling better especially when Marius, our good-looking cabin steward, greets me with his Italian-accent of “Good morning madam” and “Good evening madam” greetings or “Did I scare you madam?” when he came from out-of-nowhere one time while I was in deep thought walking along the sixth leveled corridors.
He even tried to say "Kumusta ka madam” in his allegro voice. Well, I almost asked him if he has a single older brother who’s good-looking as him but after my Bahama mama incident, I told myself never to act like a fool again. And so my question about finding a prospect ended up with an ellipsis instead by saying. “Fine, thank you.”
One universal day
Back in US mainland, our last stop in Florida was in Orlando for two nights in April 20-22. We were tired on our first day after traveling from Fort Lauderdale where the port area was located to our last destination which was in Orlando. We spent more time on the road because we got lost looking for our destined hotel. My friend’s GPS didn’t work well or was it because I wasn’t just familiar with the non-Garmin gadget?
On our second day, we were given complimentary tickets to spend a day at Universal Studios. And so, just like any feeling care-free kids in town, we played with the hit-me-hard games, rode the simulated rides, ate a lot of creamy sweets, and took snapshots of us posing in anything that catches our fancy eyes.
Our last day was at the Orlando International airport on bound for the Northeast coast. Whether it was a first time to travel with no kids in tow or for the nth time, Tina and I cherished every moment, good or bad, keeping an open-mind and thankful we went on vacation together!
In between our air-land-sea trips was another adventure trip in mind for this coming late summer at Abu Dhabi. And we’re glad I wouldn’t be tempted to drink alcoholic beverages since it’s banned to be served in the Middle East. Also, we won’t be concerned of getting any sunburn since skin exposure is prohibited as well.
Meanwhile, I'm back to reality as I dream for another out-of-state trip ...
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