The Robeys take on the Carnival Spirit Day 6

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Day 6

The view once again from our balcony this morning was stunning. The Isle of Pines showed a beach to the left of white sand and an ocean split into a dark sea blue that shimmered like diamonds before meeting the land in an almost irridescent aquamarine.

Taking a smaller boat to land the view again becoming postcard picture perfect loomed into a life size view.

Disembarking off the boat we walked towards the left, mesmerized by the view. The white powder sand looked inviting and looking back toward the ship offered a spectacular view. Mangrove type trees lined the beach providing shelter to the many families already enjoying the tropical island. Small huts once again adorned the area offering a selection of food, drink, hairbraiding and massages. Looking over to the right another beach greeted us. The land in between that separated the 2 beaches was maybe 50 to 100 meters wide. The beach on the right again presented white sands and darker turquoise shadows against the cloudy aquamarine waters indicating coral reefs. A tiny island just off the beach covered in green trees and a weathered stone underbelly sat just meters from the mainland. The small mountains that made up part of the island were dotted with many pines and smaller islands lay off in the distance across the horizon surrounded by the lapis lazuli coloured sea.

All we needed was a coconut and it would have been tropically perfect. And I got one. Both Kym and I drank fresh coconut water from young green coconuts, the slightly fizzy feeling like a refreshing shower down our throats.

Leaning up against a palm tree, Kym played his uke and I sat absorbing the view, trying to commit to memory the vividness of the colours, the smell of fresh ocean air and scent of tangy coconut juice combined with someones reef oil and hot chips and sauce nearby while wriggling my toes in the soft powder white sand, a stark contrast to how crunchy the sand had been on the last two beaches. A slight feel of a breeze sent a few tendrils of my hair whipping across my face and the sound of children's laughter at the pure joy of splashing in the tepid water made for a magical presence beckoning to join in.

I chose my fin fun mermaid tail, it was a lighter fabric in pastel blues, greens and pink. At first the water felt colder than Marè's waters but after a few minutes our bodies adjusted to it and we swam toward the coral reef and tiny island. The water was slightly cloudy but the reefs provided lots of fish and a few irridescent cuttlefish that seemed to stare at us in feared curiosity before darting away. The water went between warm and cool. Diving deep under the ocean toward the coral the murky waters hid a variety of camouflaged fish feeding that were only noticeable when you got closer.

Swimming closer to the island the water became rougher and you could feel the pull of the ocean. Wanting some mermaid pics of myself I looked for places that would provide a suitable backdrop. It was harder than I thought with the current and the waves often pummeling me toward minuscule islands and small rock formations. I was slammed against a few of them sustaining a few scratches.

Seeing a small cavern with sand I thought it would make a great backdrop for a photo, unfortunately a little girl wanted to play in it and I was thrown about like a rag doll (Kym has footage) waiting for her to leave so we could get a few pics. The waves pushed and pulled me around and I definitely wasn't an elegant mermaid in the least. Seeing a crop of stones made into steps and not buffeted by the constant waves we decided it would make a better shot.

Kym took off back to shore and I enjoyed a bit more of an exploration of the water before heading back. The skies had become gray and the wind had picked up and we figured it was a good time to stop at a cafe to enjoy a beer each first.

We felt a smattering of rain and could see that the cruise ship was also experiencing the same. By the time we got back to the ship it had passed and we had blue skies with a few clouds and the sky which had undergone a few colour transformations was back to a deep blue as we set off.

Tonight was Mexican night and Nicki and myself had Day of the Dead costumes, Kym was a bandito and Curt.. well let's just say ge had on the best suit ever!! All four of us recieved a lot of attention that night by staff and fellow cruisers.

After dinner we checked out the comedy act (Chris was great) and then headed upstairs to the Mexican Fiesta on deck... which was basically crappy dance classics like the Macerana, Chicken Dance and a few other lame annoying songs with dance moves that were wearing thin as we had now heard them multiple times. We all drank margaritas, consoling ourselves that we should have been on a rock cruise with good rock music... arriba!

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