14th Week in Canada/USA/Mexico - Last Entry

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Adam's Blog:

After a full on Disneyland extravaganza, we wanted to finish our holiday on a high so decided to cruise to Mexico for the July 4th Long Weekend, before heading home. We went with Carnival - known for having good time cruises, looking after kids and whilst only a 4 day / 3 night trip it was a taste of part of Mexico - Ensenada actually, for us.

We checked out of the Hyatt - grabbed a taxi and again sped along the freeway and despite some very clear directions to go to where the Queen Mary cruise ship was stationed - I saw our ship and the Queen Mary disappear in the mist as we headed over a bridge to San Pedro....hey buddy turn around you are going the wrong way! Nothing like an "Amazing Race - taxi scene to get the pulse racing" - thankfully we made it in plenty of time, grabbed our next clue and headed to check-in. We knew it was a step down from the NCL Pearl, but the Carnival Paradise wasn't too bad - yes 15 yrs older but she had life in her still.

After 13 weeks of coolish weather and knowing Melbourne was freezing, we enjoyed the balmy 24 deg summer temps and sat out on deck, listening to the steel drum band, drinking cocktails and coronas, while the kids went in the pool and waterslide. A totally different experience to Alaska....and yet again the American(or L.A mainly) demographic was on board (ref: last blog) - you had your gangsters, the old lady from the movie 'Something about Mary' - you know the leathery one in a pink bikini - been in the sun / or tanning machine for a bit too long, the girls from Miami or LA Ink covered in tatts....the Lisbeth Salander lookalike from the book 'Girl with a Dragon Tatto' - great book btw..and the lead singer from every known us heavy metal band and of course it wouldn't be LA without the boob job girls parading on the sun deck in skimpy outfits and stiletto's (huh) - close your eyes kids - and your mouth Dad......that aside it was mainly a family friendly cruise with most wanting to get away for the weekend.

At dinner we were looking to be paired at the table with some interesting characters and that they were......70/80 yr old Chinese - couldn't speak a word of English and no we can't speak a word of Chinese....the waiter apologised in the sense that we were matched as they thought the surname Lee would be Chinese. The food and drink flowed anyway. After dinner the kids went into Camp Carnival for some fun - we listened to the bands, had a drink and a flutter on the Blackjack tables.

Saturday was spent in Mexico in the lovely port city of Ensenada, only some 80 miles south of the US border and settup as a tourist place. We had our photos taken with dressed up aztec indians and senioritas then caught the shuttle into town - home of the largest Mexican flag....at this point I will mention Kit did not see Speedy Gonzales....sorry to all the kids out there reading this.....I know- big disappointment - but we did spot Sylvester the Cat. What can I say about this place - it was lively, touristy (said that before I know - so think Bali - Legian Rd - hawkers selling bracelets, watches, hair braids, their kids, sombreros, ponchos you name it it was for sale....(actually no they weren't selling their kids....they were giving them away.........no they weren't, just joking ha ha).

We avoided the boozy pubs where for a shot of tequila they spin you upside down, shake you....girls be warned. Instead we found a cool bar and had some great nachos and corona's (get this $1 ea - yippah yippah, ariba, underlay) - and guess what? Yes corn chips are the same in Mexico as they are in Australia....no kidding. (another attempt at a joke). We enjoyed the World Cup - Spain v Paraguay on the big screen - being in a Spanish/Portuguese speaking place so the cheers or jeers went up - I think they were going for Paraguay - but despite the penalty kick drama - Spain went thru.

On the way back to the ship, we came across an animal refuge place seeking donation to protect wildlife - strange then for us to see a lion cub on parade...it was in good health and they allowed Gracie & Kit to pat it which was a highlight of animals we had not expected to include on this trip. That night on deck we enjoyed Champagne and Lobster so enjoying our last dinners and a far cry from 4 days in a row of spalabonase.

Sunday was a cruizy day at sea coming back to LA...the weather was a bit overcast but allowed us still to chill out on deck. The kids had the bubble guns spraying bubbles around the place and on me delighting all the other kiddies. We spotted the head of a rather large shark floating past the ship - the remainder taken by a larger shark probably. Al went to the salon for a treat and I had a massage to take away all the stress from the Corona's drunk in Ensenada - ariba! We enjoyed strolling the deck on our final night - and watching the entertainment. I gave back my earlier winnings to the casino - to help support the cruise industry of course. We finished the 4th of July weekend with an ice cream and bubble show on deck.

We docked early this morning back in LA (Long Beach) where they are having a holiday today.....we decided to stay at the Hyatt Long Beach for a day stay where we can repack our bags, shower and do travelblogs before heading to the airport tonight for our 11:30pm flight back to Melbourne.

So this is the last travelblog - for those that love stats we are happy to share that we have done 3 countries, 2 provinces, 1 state and 2 international waters. We have driven some 5000km all up - one car accident, counted 28 different beds slept in - over 94 nights. We have footage of Killer Whales, Bears, Bald Eagles, Moose, Deer, Elk and a lion cub.
Together we have read 9 books, watched 25 movies, followed the Vancouver Canucks and seen the result of the NHL finals to Chicago, the NBA finals to LA Lakers, the US Open Golf to someone I can't recall, Nadal win Wimbledon and just 4 teams left in the World Cup. (after Germany taking down Argentina, USA and England in big scores - the 4-0 loss doesn't look too bad for the Aussies). Time to get home for the ashes, to give my Brisbane Lions a boost (they were undefeated leading the comp when I left) and get this Race Horse on the track!
We have enjoyed - copious beers - Molson, Sleemans, Granville Is, Stanley Park, Budweiser, Miller, Kokanee, Grasshopper, Keiths and Corona and 1 James Boag....along with many stirling wines from the Okanagan Valley, Napa & Sonoma Valley, Chile and Sth Africa plus from home. None are better than the River Stone Winery from Oliver - (Got your plug in Ted)

We thank our fantastic home exchangers who opened their houses to us and sharing themselves to enable us to enjoy more of a true Canadian experience - we look forward to having you in Australia soon folks.....and lastly to all those that have been following this blog along over the past 14 weeks, thankyou for all the emails, comments and quips - we have enjoyed the fact that you have enjoyed reading and following our travels...sorry from Gracie who just tired out at the end on her blogs....she continued in part with her written journal and will finish that for her school project....

Luv From Al, Gracie, Kit & I - "Yipedda Yippeda ......That's all Folks!!"😱

Back home in 24hours and we have decided to move house again, our contact details are:
21 Seaspray Close
Safety Beach
new email: [e-mail]

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