If there are white caps in your toilet...6

The next port of call was Belize City, Belize. That day was an interesting experience. There is one of the largest natural barrier reefs there. The ships had to anchor pretty far off shore. "Tender boats" came out and picked us up to take us to shore. I had never heard the term "tender boat" before. According to my research they are called that because they are "vessel attendants" or they "tend to" the needs of the ship. Usually these boats are carried by the ship itself. In our case the cruise line contracts with local "tender" companies to provide the service. It's much quicker because of the number of boats available.

There were 5 ships anchored off shore the day we were in Belize. It was pretty cool to check out all the other boats. The last one to arrive was European. The picture on the upper left is the tender dock just below our cabin. We were on the 10th floor and the tender dock was on the 3rd floor. We had fun watching the boats load and take off. We didn't have a shore excursion booked that day so we had to get a tender ticket and wait until our group was called to go ashore. That way we didn't have to stand in a long line and wait. Note Hubby Guy's feet in the picture as he was taking a picture straight down. The balcony wall was glass so it didn't block the view of the water. I thought that was pretty cool. The picture on the right is of the tender boats flying out to the boats to pick up people. Like I said, there were 5 ships. We all got there pretty close to the same time. When the tender boats started coming out from the shore it kinda looked like we were being invaded. Check out, too, how far away shore was. I'd love to know how many miles out we were.

We did some shopping while in Belize. Mostly though we sat in an open air restaurant that the ship people raved about. The food was good. Come to find out, the place was opened by a girl from Atlanta. It was another marketing/kick back situation. But.. I don't mind because eating in foreign places is scary to me. When you eat or shop at a ship recommended place it has a guarantee on it. We could be certain that by eating there we weren't eating cat or anything else odd. Unfortunately the picture of me doesn't really capture the nuclear glow I was emitting that day. We tried as best we could to keep me in the shade. Sun touching my skin was akin to being lit on fire. The Wet Lizard was where we were. It was cool because it was nicely shaded and it was also upstairs. It offered really nice views of the area. I included the picture of the Coke because of the label. Everywhere we went had Coke Light instead of Diet Coke. I heard a guy in Cozumel explain why. Apparently it has to do with perception. People in that area of the world are offended by the word "diet" or something like that. We got a kick out of it.
You may have noticed by now that Hubby Guy always has the same annoyed expression on his face. He doesn't love to have his picture taken. He has learned, however, that if you sit still it'll be over quickly. Honestly, at this point if he ever actually smiled it would creep me out. I quite love his sour expression. It makes me laugh.

Here are some pictures taken from where we were sitting upstairs.



One thing we couldn't help but notice was how beautiful the children were in that part of the world. We wished that we had a picture of the painter's daughter in Guatemala. She was a cutie. Something we noticed a lot was that often children were at work with their parents. My thought is that likely they are learning the family trade so they eventually will have a job too. This little girl was riding the tender boat. I couldn't decide which person she belonged to. She either belonged to the woman at the pier who was helping load the boat or she belonged to the driver. They may even be a family. I wasn't sure. What I was sure about was that she is a beautiful little girl. She reminded me a little of Esther. (Our first foster child)


Aboard a cruise ship you get really spolied. You have cabin attendants that come into your room twice a day and tidy up/make the bed/bring you ice, etc. They're pretty stealthy too. They take care of business at times of day when you aren't around. I don't remember what evening it was but this is the first towel creature they made us. I think it's a seal. I'm pretty sure it was after the first port day. I remember hoping every evening there would be a different animal. There wasn't but it gave me something to look forward to.

One last thing I'll mention today is our interaction with our own children who were staying with the adoptive family of one of their brothers. They still feel some trepidation when they're away from us. The older one I'm pretty sure lives with some fear that she'll be taken away again. I don't know if that will ever go away for her. So... I emailed her every day. I gotta say. She is a funny kid. She was so excited about getting to stay with her brother. For he is a horribly spoiled little creature and she was looking forward to cashing in and playing with all of his cool toys. She has now seen the light. Apparently adapting to the rules of another household was too much for her. She ended the first and every consecutive email with "The thrill is gone!!!" An added little perk of this trip was that the girls were able to get some perspective about living with us. I think they are both more grateful for how we run our house. I'm pretty sure they appreciate our laid back lifestyle and lack of ridiculous, stifling rules that only serve to make life unpleasant.

Hubby Guy and I decided that when we cruise next time (and there DEFINITELY will be a next time) that we will take the rugrats with us. It was great to be alone, but they would have thoroughly enjoyed themselves.