Our second cruise was a 7 night Northern Spain Cruise taking in 4 cities a bit off the usual tourist trail (Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba etc). Most interesting for me was that they were 4 towns that I had never previously been to (Bilbao, La Coruna, Vigo and Gijon.
So I could experience them brand new too.
Bilbao
Bilbao was first on the list, it is the eleventh largest city in Spain but largest in the province (Biscay). The greater Metro area contains a bit over a million people. Fist founded in the 13th century, the town quickly became an important port city.
Our arrival was actually in the town of Getxo about 20 km from Bilbao itself. But the port authority runs a shuttle bus service to town (that delivers you underneath the Guggenheim Museum). Added to that there is an efficient metro station within a manageable walk from the terminal.
The town is mainly now known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
It is one of several museums bearing the Guggenheim name (New York, Venice, Bilbao and soon to be Abu Dhabi) around the world. This like the others is a home for modern and contemporary art. But of most interest is the building itself, which is incredibly funky and has been widely lauded as a piece of contemporary architecture.
Of course, being a Monday, in Spain, all museums are closed. So we took our happy snaps from outside and explored the rest of the town instead.
In prepping for the trip I saw that there was a funicular (Funicular de Artxanda) that ran up the hill (Artxanda) and offered panoramic views over the town. Not being a fan of stairs, the 3 (ish) euro price tag seemed about right to get some good perspective (and photos) without busting a boiler trying to climb the mountain. But the distance, cloudy weather and Karin’s knee combined to keep us on the Gugenheim side of the river instead.
To get to the funicular from town you first have to cross the Zubizuri (white) Bridge (which we did walk past). Opened in 1997, and consists of a curved walkway held up by cables from an overhead arch. While we did get photos, this one from the net showed it best.
Once the exploration proper started, we quickly found ourselves in funky streets full of amazing buildings. We snapped away furiously while zigging and zagging our way through the streets. This led to the inevitable (and what was to become frequent) stop for a sit down, a coffee (or other beverage). Typically the drink was (to be) accompanied with either a pastry or some pincho’s (small tapas style snacks).
The Ribera Market is the largest covered food market in the world (according to Guinness). On the right bank of the Nervión river it has stood there for centuries but the current version was built in 1929.
Some more coffee, more cool buildings, parks, pinchos and add in some bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches) and maybe a cerveza. Possibly the most important thing to raise in all of this is the prices that you pay. We were able to get two coffees (really good coffees), pinchos, sandwiches and pastries for less than the cost of 2 coffees at home (even after the currency conversion).
Oh and Santiago Cathedral was there too.
So after a fair day’s walking we meandered back to the ship for a well earned shower and a sit down.
La Coruna
La Coruña was next, it has a population of 245,000. and is a long time maritime port, the first recorded history can be found in the 2nd century BC when the Romans arrived (originally known as Brigantium). The Roman influence is still obvious today.
The most notable evidence of the Romans is the Torre de Hercules (Tower of Hercules) lighthouse, which is the oldest known Roman lighthouse. Built in the 1st century, it sits on a peninsula about 2.4 km from town (there is a bus, but we took a cab).
La Coruña is often known as the city of crystal, due to its glassed-in facades overlooking the harbour. These date back to the 18th century, when glass panes became ubiquitous due to their use in Spanish galleons. The cruise terminal drops you basically in the middle of town and a quick 5 minute walk drops you at Plaza de María Pita (the main town square). The main square was named after a local heroine (Maria Pita) whose story is seriously cool. To tell it properly I will steal it from wiki and the tourist blurbs so as to do it justice.
On 4 May 1589, the English breached Spanish defences and entered the old city. María Pita was assisting her husband (an army captain) but when he was killed (in a fit of rage) she snatched the spear carrying the banner from an English captain and killed him with it. The guy she killed is claimed to be the brother of (Admiral) Francis Drake. This apparently demoralised the English troops who began to retreat. At this point she appeared on the the wall of the city shouting Quen teña honra, que me siga (“Whoever has honour, follow me!”).
So in the middle of the square that bears her name is a statue of her holding the spear that she used.
If you want to find out more about Maria Pita, there’s a free admission museum explaining her story and her integral part in the downfall of Sir Francis Drake and the English Armada.
The square itself was pretty funky, dominated by the Town Hall on one side, and Iglesia de San Jorge (church) on the other. There was the usual shops, bars and restaurants.
Being a church and full of stained glass, Karin had to go in. As expected, it was full of shiny euro church bling and some pretty cool glass.
Up the hill was a nice garden and (what I can only imagine was) a life sized statue of an old admiral. Some old Roman ruins as you made your way down the hill and at the bottom poking out was the fort.
Iglesia de Santiago is the oldest church in A Coruña. Build in the 12th century in Roman style, later adopted to more Gothic architecture.
Castillo de San Anton is a 16th century fortress located at the waters edge, part of a network of strategically built defensive forts. Nowadays it is an archaeological museum with a huge cistern underneath it. And for about 2 euros each, why wouldn’t you go in.
And of course, inside the fort was the usual weapons, armour and random trinket display.
Some more exploring, cool coastlines, odd statues , interesting architecture and generally a good day was had all around.
Having seen the tower of Hercules we hopped a cab to find the Octopus sculpture and funky looking dome that was supposed to be up the hill.
Begin saga…
What was supposed to be a quick cab ride to an impressive sculpture ended up being a trip to the main railway station (estacion and sculpture etc). Then some google translating on the phones and a cab ride to a very lame sculpture, and another ride down the hill back to the main square.
Having reached the square, it was time for a cold drink and some pinchos. Before hopping back on the boat, a last minute wander about saw Karin particularly interested in a wickerware donkey (with a disturbing level of anatomical correctness).
In addition to the bits that we saw there is a bunch of museums (Contemporary Art, Archaeological, History, Science and Technology, Human body and evolution). The marine aquarium apparently has a rebuilt submarine from Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s story.
La Caruna is a nice town and I would happily come back.
Vigo
Vigo is a town of a little under 300,000 people. Casco Vello is the historical center (Old Town) area of town and the bit with the most to see. Thankfully it is very close to the port, however, it is built on the side of a hill that the tourist lady said would rival the steepness of San Francisco.
The first thing that struck us was the fairly eclectic range of statues that were floating about the town.
Thankfully, the tourist lady also told Karin that if you walk down 3-4 streets that there was a series of escalators that would save you a lot of effort in climbing the (very steep) hill. The streets, squares and buildings have information signs in Galician, Spanish and even some in English.
On our first pass we missed the escalators and found ourselves walking through the Alameda da Praza de Compostela. Main park in town for those whose Spanish still needs some work.
We zigged and zagged a bit until we found the escalators (they started a few streets up the hill). So up the escalators we went until we could go no further.
From here was a long steep walk to get to the Fortaleza de Santa María do Castro.
A quick google check showed a hilltop park with prehistoric stone ruins and some fortress remains.
Sort of, on the way to the park, you (kinda) pass the Castelo de San Sebastián. This is not for the feint hearted, and we were that on this particular day.
So making our way back down the hill we got into Casco Vello more seriously. Checking out the mix of old and new buildings and the myriad of cafes and restaurants.
We found a street that specialised in just seafood, with a particular emphasis on the local delicacy pulpo (octopus) along with whatever else was fresh on that particular day. It was at this point I realised that I needed to be with my wife or my other sister, both of whom would have enjoyed settling in on this street.
There is even a monument to Jules Verne (a bronze statue of him sitting on the tentacles of a giant squid.
In his book 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, he named a chapter “The Bay of Vigo”.
He came to visit the city sometime after writing the novel, so in his honour and on the centenary of his death (2005), the statue was commissioned and donated.
While we may not have settled in at the seafood shops, we certainly did not go without. The offerings in Vigo were top class and we did find a way to do some serious sampling.
Gijon
Gijon is a lovely little town, that is not usually on the cruise ship list of stops.
And isn’t this obvious. The port itself is rubbish.
You park next to huge piles of coal (just like Brisbane), with nothing scenic for miles.
And when you get out of the port you are left to your own devices (same as Brisbane).
The cruise ship offered two options, a free shuttle to the edge of the port (where there was nothing but a 6km walk to town ahead of you) there was not even a cab or local bus stop on offer. The second option was a USD$20 per person bus ride to a very tiny town.
Having paid the $$$ we hopped the but that dropped us at the local train museum (free) and right next to what is probably a very nice beach (Poniente) when is is not gray, cold and rainy. A short walk and you are at the tourist sign and at an old fortress wall.
Some old building and some interesting attempts at art and sculpture and you find yourself at the local roman ruins and skate park. To say that this place is a bit off is an understatement.
Cimadevilla, the city’s oldest neighborhood, where narrow streets, colorful houses, and old fishermen’s taverns create a cool atmosphere. We chose to climb to the top of Cerro de Santa Catalina for sweeping views over the Bay of Biscay and to see the iconic Elogio del Horizonte sculpture by Eduardo Chillida.
Karin’s search of the blurb suggests that it is meant to amplify the sounds of the ocean. As you wander down the hill you pop out on the Capilla del Santísimo Sacramento. A very nice church overlooking the ocean near the beach of San Lorenzo.
From here we found ourselves near some very odd statues that required some exploration but did not come with an explanation.
Then it was to Plaza Mayor for a coffee and a bite. And we were pretty much done.
A slow amble down the main shopping mall street a quick stop at another church (Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) which is topped by a 7.5 metre marble statue of Jesus. Of course Karin went in to check out the stained glass.
Across the road from the church was the town library and at about this time, Gijon was touristed out.
So it was back on the bus and back to the coal piles.
Our tour of Northern Spain was good.
We took in four towns that we had never been to, experienced some very cool sights, ate great food and enjoyed amazing coffee. All things considered, well worth the effort.
Well here I am again with my sister Karin instead of Jill. We bailed from the Netherlands and took an early morning direct flight to Southampton in England where we had a few cruises booked. But to avoid stress we came in a couple of days early to poke about. As we would return to Southampton twice more (between sailings) we decided to boycott the town on round one and focus on the surrounding areas instead.
So we jumped off the plane, hired a car (at exorbitant rates) and set off into the countryside. As it turned out, Stonehenge was a mere 50 miles away.
Stonehenge
So obviously our first stop was to see Stonehenge. It was a cold, wet, grey and gloomy day (a typical English), but we did the best with what the weather would allow.
Stonehenge Again
Given that our first foray was so grey and gloomy, on the way back from our monster road trip, we decided to do another drive-by in the hope it might actually be OK. As it turned out, blue(ish) skies and a setting sun make the photos considerably better.
Salisbury
Our next stop was to the town of Salisbury and the incredibly impressive Cathedral. While the Catholic church may have locked us out (in Alkmaar) the Anglican church had their doors open for us. We both clicked away furiously but Karin may have had a particular interest in the stained glass and windows.
Karin tells me that the stained glass here was particularly good for a bunch of reasons that made my eyes roll back into my head. so because other people may have greater interest in such things…the next explanation is courtesy of Karin.
All the windows in Salisbury Cathedral contain extraordinarily detailed stained glass. Over the centuries, the cathedral has contained several different styles of stained glass. The original was Grisaille glass dating from the 13th century, a particular dark grey geometric style of window. There is one remaining Grisaille window in the cathedral that was dug up and reconstructed.
Original Grisaille window from the 13th century.
There are examples of different styles of stained glass over the centuries, including extensive restorations due to deterioration and damage throughout various wars.
Prisoner of Conscience Window – installed in the 1980’s.
The latest installation was in 2024.
In addition to the Church bit, the Cathedral was also home to one of the copies of the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is a 1215 English charter that guaranteed rights to “free men” and is considered a foundational document for individual liberties and the rule of law. There are only four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, with two held by the British Library, one at Lincoln Cathedral, and one at Salisbury Cathedral.
Having blitzed the Cathedral we took a recommendation (from my mate Jimmy) to have lunch at the Rose and Crown Hotel. It was apparently once owned by one of his relatives. Either way, it was a lovely little place, right on a stream that served a pretty good lunch for a reasonable price.
After lunch it was up the hill to visit the Old Sarum Castle which is the ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. The settlement appears in some of the earliest records in the country. There is evidence that early hunters and, later, farming communities occupied the site and a protective hill fort was constructed around 400 BC. The hillfort is broadly oval shaped, measuring 400 m in length and 360 m in width.
On a cold, wet and windy day, it is safe to say that we were somewhat exposed high on the hill.
Our last call for the day was to be Stourhead which is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire. We arrived in the late afternoon and quickly found out that this was not something that you could quickly zip around. So we took a few happy snaps on the fringes and decided that time was just to tight to explore fully.
So from here we just headed back to Southampton for a (very dodgy) meal and a sleep before we set off again the next day on what would turn out to be a pretty epic road trip.
The next morning we were up and on the road by 7am. As our day evolved, we ended up totally freaking out the locals at our propensity to drive and see things. The first note that must be made is that in almost every UK town there is no such thing as parking.
This fact meant that at almost no point during our day could we stop, get out of the car and amble about. So we found ourselves in the pattern of getting to a sight, Karin jumping out and madly taking photos while I tried not to get parking, speeding or eco tax fines.
Oxford
This pattern first came to light in Oxford (a bit over 100km north of Southampton) where it became apparent that there was absolutely nowhere to stop. Founded in the 8th century the city sits at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Cherwell rivers. It has a population of a bit over 150,000 and is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
The town itself has buildings in every style of English architecture dating back as far as the late Anglo-Saxons.
With nowhere to stop and limited options Karin dived in and out of the car and did the best she could, but there was no chance to take your time and get the best angles of some truly amazing architecture.
As for me I got to see them out of a windscreen while trying not to create too much of a traffic nightmare. Thankfully whist driving around exploring, Karin spotted a tiny little sign advising us that we had driven through a zero emissions zone. Had she missed this (because I certainly did) we would have copped the emissions toll and the various fines associated with it, all billed back to our hire car and we would have come home to massive bills.
But instead, Karin hopped on the website, transferred the 4 pound fee and logged the receipt so that we were covered. We did make it to the Oxford University but you could only enter the courtyard after 2pm on a Sunday and we were there at about 8am.
Karin did manage to get this photo but was almost body checked by a particularly over-zealous security guard who would not let her step (even the 2 foot required) beyond the rope barrier to get a better photo.
The town was fantastic, the day was miserable, and the logistics were almost unmanageable. The key to coming here is to set up in a hotel near town and just walk about everywhere. From our quickfire visit it was clear that you could easily spend a day or two exploring.
From Oxford we may have gone a little silly in heading south and then west for a further 200km to get to Wales.
Cardiff, Wales
Being a rugby boy (way back when) and trying to get my country and territory count up, the idea of being so close to Wales and not popping in seemed silly. So on leaving Oxford we set the GPS to take us to Cardiff Arms Park, the spiritual home of Welsh Rugby.
Our first impression of Wales however was the impressive Servern Bridge (Welsh: Pont Hafren). This was built and opened in 1966 to replace a ferry.
Built at the narrowest part of the river, the span still required a mile long motorway suspension bridge.
From the Severn Bridge, you could see the more modern (and impressive) Prince of Wales Bridge which lay to its left.
While the Severn Bridge was 1 mile long, the Prince of Wales Bridge was built closer to the mouth of the river and was over 5 kilometres long.
Our next impression was at some of the road signage. The Welsh language is a truly unique thing and the concept of pronouncing or comprehending them was too much for us.
Sadly, upon entering Cardiff, the parking situation in Wales was no better than in Oxford, so we continued our quick sniper runs in and out of tourist areas for Karin to get happy snaps. The first of which was Cardiff Arms Park.
On the up side, the further away from England that we drove, the clearer the skies got. And the warmer the weather got too.
The most prominent thing that you come across is the Cardiff Castle. Believed to have originally been built by the Romans n about 50AD it sits in the centre of town. We managed to lap it about 4 times while hunting for a car park but unfortunately never made it inside. Karin got some great wall photos.
But the insides remained foreign to us. The tourist blurb provides a raft of information about the castle and its various iterations over the centuries, but sadly the battlements will remain un-walked by me.
We did however get to find a place to park and poke about in the area that contained the law courts, the town hall and the National Museum.
All very impressive buildings, set in a beautiful parkland type environment. Having had the chance to stop and do some googling of what was good to see the next stop became pretty obvious, however driving to it and parking there was not as simple as it may have seemed.
Llandaff Cathedral it was…officially the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter & Paul. It stands on one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain amid the ancient “City of Llandaff”. Despite being surrounded on all sides by modern Cardiff, the Llandaff conservation area remains comparatively unspoilt and surprisingly tranquil.
The present cathedral dates from 1107, the arch behind the High Altar was built at that time. The Cathedral was extended and widened and a new West front built about 1220. This West front is judged by many to be one of the two or three most notable medieval works of art in Wales. Because Karin went inside, there are lots of photos of stained glass windows.
From here we were off again with an almost 100km drive to the town of Bath.
Bath
Bath was a dashing visit, primarily to Bath Abbey. We had hoped to get out and wander about…but you guessed it…nowhere to park within cooee of the place. So we lapped the town, hunting high ground to get a nice overview (high) shot of the place. But sadly trees and houses kept getting in the way.
Unsurprisingly, the town of Bath is full of Roman era baths. Being short on both daylight and time, we skipped the Roman baths (however did drive past the remnants of some, as well as some aqueducts.
And on the way Karin did get to dive out and have a quick look at the very funky looking St Mary’s Church.
Bath is a bit like Oxford, you would need to set up at a hotel near the centre and just wander about for a day or two. So on our way out we headed to our next port of call Glastonbury. A relatively short 45km hop down the road.
Glastonbury
Our first view coming into town was that of the Glastonbury Tor. It is a hill that is topped by the roofless tower of St Michael’s Church.
From here it was into town where we found a car park and could actually go exploring.
To be fair, my only knowledge of Glastonbury was the music festival. It began in 1970 and it the equivalent of Nimbin in Australia. Hippies and weed abound in the town at all times but the crowd swells to 200,000 during the festival. Beyond the music, the festival offers a wide range of performing arts, including comedy, theatre, and circus. As does the town in general.
The town is cool in a hippy, dropout kinda way. Not really a place I would like to set up camp, but I have a feeling that Karin could find herself right at home amongst the arty types.
The main event for us was the Glastonbury Abbey. We arrived late in the day, but still with enough time for Karin to run in and do the tourist thing. I chose to save the entrance fee and steal her photos for the blog.
The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It was destroyed by a major fire in 1184, but rebuilt and by the 14th century was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England.
From (at least) the 12th century, the Glastonbury area has been associated with the legend of King Arthur, a connection promoted by medieval monks who asserted that Glastonbury was Avalon. Christian legends have claimed that the abbey was founded by Joseph of Arimathea in the 1st century.
While Karin was inside, I peered over the fence, drinking coffee and having an odd conversation with the curator of the place. In general chit chat he asked where we were from etc. When he found out we were staying in Southampton he seemed shocked that we would do the 80 mile trip to come to Glastonbury and have to return again.
At this point the conversation started in earnest. I proceeded to tell him that we had left at about 7am that morning, travelled to Oxford (66 miles), then to Cardiff (116 miles), on to Bath (55 miles), before driving the 25 miles to even get to Glastonbury.
Then I let him know that because we had time and would drive the 51 miles back to Stonehenge, and head to Salisbury (10mi) before heading back to our accommodation in Southampton (25mi).
When our hire car return receipt came I had driven 864 miles (just under 1400 kilometres in the 2 days.
Southampton
While we had stayed in Southampton for our first two days, we actually saw very little of it as we were visiting the broader region. But we were on 3 cruises that all ported there, so we had a day each time to explore the more local aspects.
In doing the googling on what is good to see in Southampton, two of the top 3 things to do is to leave (to go to Salisbury or Stonehenge). So we hopped off the boat between our first 2 cruises and hit the high street (after being sent the long way around by the dude on the dock).
Our first sight was the Bar Gate, a medieval gatehouse about half way up high street. Our biggest challenge here was to get a photo without the junk food vans and tents selling kebabs, pasties and the like.
But once we found our way, the Roman walls and ruins, interesting sights came at us pretty thick and fast. Sadly our day had 37 knot winds, and was grey and overcast. Somehow, the wind managed to be blowing into our faces no matter what direction we turned.
Pheasants
This needs to be talked about. The Common pheasant is bred to be hunted and are shot in great numbers in Europe, especially the UK. In our opinion, pheasants must be the stupidest birds on the planet. We have both driven a lot, in Australia, and the likelihood of seeing a dead bird as roadkill is extremely low. In the UK (in the south at least), you cannot drive a kilometre without seeing one as road kill or at least the remnants on one.
This sparked a conversation in the car which ended with SIRI chiming in, through the navigation system, advising us that in fact ‘Pheasants are not the stupidest birds on the planet’.
Well I am off travelling again, but this time I have left my wife at home working and have brought along my sister Karin. Don’t get me wrong, Jill is still joining me in a few weeks for our upcoming cruise around Africa (no way she was missing out on that) but the first 5 weeks or so was just too much of a stretch to ask from a new job.
So the first few legs are cruise ships out of the UK. The logistics (and cost) of transport in and around the UK were brutal. So we decided to fly from Australia (via Qatar) to Amsterdam (one of the few places with direct flights to Southampton). This also meant that Karin could see some more of Europe other than just the cruise ship ports.
Amsterdam accommodation is prohibitively expensive, and for those that have been following along, Jill and I have made great friends (Michel and Sonja) in the town of Alkmaar (a short 40 minute train ride from central Amsterdam). So we booked into Alkmaar (saving us a ton of money) and could do a quick train ride to check out the touristy things in town. And for all the rest of the time we could just have fun in the awesome town of Alkmaar.
Alkmaar
I really do not know what to say about this town, it is truly amazing. EVERY single time that I come here there is some major event on. Either I am the luckiest person on the planet or this town just has a whole lot going on ALL THE TIME.
Our first foray saw us hitting the town during the ‘once a year’ Kaeskoppenstad. A celebration a 1500’s resistance to Spanish occupiers that involved the whole town dressing up like the 1500’s and show what life was like 450 years ago.
The second foray and we hit Friday cheese market in the Waagplein (main square) where (you guessed it) everyone gets dressed up and re-enacts the early cheese trader routine (dating back to 1365).
This thing takes place each Friday from March to September and during peak season, on Tuesdays too.
And this time we arrived to find ourselves exhausted after the Monster transit only to be told that the next day would be the ‘once a year’ Lappendag (Rag Day). What this meant was that every trader in town (and many from around) basically had a stocktake sale on the streets. This turned the whole town centre into a ‘once a year’ outdoor market. It started with the clothing and quickly evolved into just about everything, most notably food.
This made for some interesting sights early on as the streets turned into dressing rooms and women were stripping down to try on various items of clothing. Thankfully Karin found herself in the market for a jacket, which did not involve such an intimate public display.
Somehow in all of this madness, the Lappendag found a way to evolve to include a livestock display of cows, horses and goats. We were out and about early so the crowds weren’t too silly. Although I did have to brave the peak crowd a bit later on so that Karin could bathe (context to follow).
The star of the show for us turned out to be a blue eyed horse. This was something that neither of us had seen before.
Oh the poffertjes weren’t bad either.
Day one was ambling about and day two was the Lappendag, given our limited time available on day three we hopped the train to Amsterdam for an exploration there.
Amsterdam
After a 10 euro (each way pp) train ride we were in Amsterdam central, ready to explore.
Our arrival time coincided almost perfectly with the departure time for the HOHO canal boat ride, which launched from directly outside of the railway station. So we sat on the boat (it was a cold and less than ideal day) in the relative warmth and did the 2 hour circuit of Amsterdam taking in a lot of the sights.
When our canal boat took us back to the start point we did the 12 minute walk down to where the HOHO bus departed and hopped on that to do the one hour loop of that. Well sort of. We actually hopped off the bus in the museum district and Karin went into the Rijksmuseum (after a pretty special lunch in a nearby café).
Not really being into the artworks I milled about outside while she did her Rembrandt (and others) thing. From here we were back on the HOHO bus, back on the train and back to Alkmaar. While it wasn’t a crazy amount of walking, it had still managed to be a long and tiring day.
The next day we just milled about and took in the sights of Alkmaar. Karin found an immediate and ongoing affinity towards the tiny cars that seemed to abound. Many were small but we learned that the smallest of them were designed for the disabled. They were perfect for the tiny streets and alleys but were not allowed on the main roads or highways.
Karin and I, in an attempt to redeem our heathen souls, attempted to visit the local catholic church (OK maybe Karin wanted to check out the stained glass).
We went virtually every day, but on hearing that the Pieper children were in town the catholic church went into full lockdown and refused to open their doors. This remained the case for the entire week. So we took that as a sign and walked away.
As pretty and welcoming as Alkmaar is during the day, the night time brings the place to life in a whole new way. Narrow streets combine with decorative lighting and then you get to factor in the reflections off the water in the canals. I really do love this place.
The only real detraction from our time in Alkmaar was our somewhat strange hotel room. The hotel was lovely and the room was nice but it had no door on either the toilet or the bathroom. It was a wide opening with an alcove on each side for both the toilet and shower. This is OK for partners, but for just travel companions made thigs a little awkward. We ended up taking it in turns to disappear so that each other could have a shower in peace.
As for going to the toilet, well we just had to make do as best we could.
As it happens our last day in Alkmaar (luckily) coincided with the last cheese market display for the season. I had told Karin how much fun it was, but our original timings meant that we were going to miss it. But thankfully Michel offered to drive us to the airport, taking away all of the transit palaver and giving us enough time to catch the last Friday cheese market.
And that was it, our time in Alkmaar was over and we were staying at an airport hotel ready to transit on to the UK.
Michel and Sonja were (once again) amazing hosts and so generous with their time and hospitality.
Well I am off again. I had been in Australia for almost 5 months and that is about all that could be reasonably expected from me given the recent frame of mind. During that five months Jill and I bounced around furiously catching up with family and friends, hunting for jobs, and raiding our container full of stuff.
Jill had found a gig that saw us setting up camp in a charming little coastal town called Bargara (on the water near Bundaberg). We rented a house, set ourselves up and got down to living life back in Australia and giving up our nomad ways. In reality, we already had this section planned but had to do something with ourselves in the meantime.
I will write more about Bargara later on because it really is worth the write-up and some of the pictures are just stunning. But anyway, back to the reason for writing. Jill and I found an amazing cruise that was to leave Spain and relocate to Australia. Given the war in Gaza and the relatively unsafe passage through the Suez Canal the company decided not to risk it and instead to travel around Africa (something that almost never happens).
As we have cruised Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific as well as around South America and into the Antarctic, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Added to this was the multi-day stops in South Africa, which gave us enough time to get on a Safari and tick some pretty big bucket list items.
Oh and the most important thing…It would get me to (and a bit over) my goal of reaching 100 countries.
Needless to say that the 12 week jaunt didn’t work that well for poor Jill who had just started a new job. She did mention it at interview and was selected anyway. But at the interview it was a flippant ‘oh I’m sure we can work around that’ however after her feet hitting the ground, the reality of 12 weeks without her started to land. So she decided 12 weeks were not an option and for the first few legs I was to go alone and she would join me for the main event (around Africa).
We stayed in this position for a while before Jill came up with the idea…hey, we are paying for two people, it seems like a waste… Why don’t you find a friend and not waste the extra berth in the cabin. So after a bit of chat my sister Karin decided that she would join me to see the first 4-5 weeks worth. So the planning began, and Karin even did the 4 hr drive up to Bargara for a few days to work through the logistics.
To be fair we did do the tourist thing too, wandering the beaches and even did a whale watching adventure on the Lady Musgrave experience.
Planning done, we were off. A Saturday afternoon flight (packed) from Brisbane for about 17 hrs to Doha. At this point we had a 9 hr layover (without lounge access). Our seat allocation for the next leg was crappy, but we were assured in Brisbane that it was only us in that row, so we didn’t complain.
After our 9 hrs of milling about the airport, we hopped another flight (for 6 hrs) to Amsterdam. Our wander down the hall went fine until we got to our row to find that 2 of the 4 seats that were to be ours were already occupied. Oh well…another packed flight. When the next 6 hrs were over we were exiting Schiphol Airport.
At this point we were picked up by close friend (Michel) for the 45 minute drive to Alkmaar. Alkmaar has featured on here a few times now, mainly thanks to Michel and Sonja who introduced us to it. For us it was about a third of the accommodation cost of being in Amsterdam and was only a 40 minute train ride into town. This meant that we could live cheaply and just ride in to town to see the sights each day without destroying the budget.
As we were in and out of Mexico so many times, and into many of the ports numerous times I decided to do a combined post rather than do a bunch of individual posts. We went to places like Cozumel and Costa Maya almost 10 times each, so as you can imagine it would have been quite repetitive had we done it any other way. What we did do was to try and see different things each time to make the post a little more complete than a simple pop in.
Many cruise lines have Mexico as a major destination. Our preferred line (RC) makes numerous stops in Mexico (on both the Pacific coast and on the Gulf of Mexico side). The Pacific coast side we have not yet visited but by name only, they are the ports that the old TV show ‘The Love Boat‘ used to visit and they include: Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. The TV show also used to go to Acapulco, but drug wars has made Acapulco one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico and is therefore no longer on the list of cruise destinations.
For those who watched the show, the ‘star’ of the show (the ship) remained in operation until it was eventually scrapped in 2013.
So while we have not (yet) visited any of the Pacific Ports (we do plan to) we have given a fair old hit to the ones within the Gulf of Mexico and on the Yucatan peninsula.
The first thing that must be mentioned is that the Gulf of Mexico side is prone to large seas and often high winds. This greatly affects the water quality, water safety and sometimes even the ability for the ship to even land you at the intended port. Several times, ports had been cancelled due to rough seas or high winds.
The Yucatán Peninsula is dotted with numerous relics of the Mayan civilisation that continue to amaze people even centuries after the Mayan demise. Our first foray into this part of the world saw us boycotting the beaches and making a beeline to Chichen Itza. One of the 7 wonders of the world why would you not. So Chichen Itza (or chicken kisser as we have been referring to it) is a former Mayan city dating back to as early as 250AD. At its peak around 35,000 people would have called it home. It was one of the most important Mayan cities in Latin America.
Chi means “mouths” and chen means “wells” and Itzá is the name of the Maya tribe that settled there. Chichen Itza means “At the mouth of the well of the Itza.”
Possibly the most notable thing about the city is the ancient temple Pyramid of El Castillo (Kukulcan Temple). It is the most famous and recognisable of Mexico’s monuments but it was not built by the Mayans but rather in the 10th century by foreign invaders.
The Pyramid of El Castillo rises 24 metres above the Main Plaza area. Each of its four sides has 91 stairs that face north, east, south, and west. Including the step on the top platform, there is a total of 365 steps. This is the same number of days in the solar year.
Beyond the pyramid at the centre, the site contains the remains of the entire city. The site of Chichen Itza occupies an area of around 10 sq/km. And everywhere you go there is more to see. Carved walls pyramids, buildings, sports courts, virtually everything you would expect to find in a major (ancient) city.
The earliest structures built include the Akabtzib (“House of the Dark Writing”), the Chichanchob (“Red House”), the Iglesia (“Church”), the Casa de las Monjas (“Nunnery”), and the observatory El Caracol (“The Snail”).
On the site are caves and sinkholes in limestone formations, known as cenotes. These are natural wells that form when limestone surfaces collapse and expose water underneath.
Tlachtli was a Mayan game that involved keeping a grapefruit-sized rubber ball in the air with the use of thighs, hips, and chest.
It was known by various other names including pok-a-tok, pitz, tlacho, and ulama. In some variations, the goal became knocking the ball through hoop-like stone rings.
And the losers were often sacrificed to the gods.
The most revered beast in the Mayan world was the jaguar.
It was thought that at night the sun slipped into the underworld and would transform into a jaguar.
The animal was linked with warriors and hunters, and became a symbol of the might and authority of the rulers.
The kings and rulers desired the power and spirit of the jaguar.
During the spring and autumn equinoxes (around March 20/21 and September 20/21), the light hits the earth on the equator. When this happens, the shadows cast by the setting sun give the appearance of Quetzalcóatl (a feathered serpent) slithering down the steps.
The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is a Mayan Tradition going back to 1800BC that celebrates life with food, dances, and skull masks.
It is believed that the souls of the spirit realm can visit the land of the living, not to haunt people, but to lovingly reconnect with their family and friends.
Chichen Itza was good and we were both glad that we made it here. But it was impossible not to compare this experience with other major places that we have seen around the world, most notably Siem Reap in the Khmer Empire. The two experiences were remarkably similar but the concept of comparison sits poorly with me.
Having looked around the site we had some time to look at some of the trinkets that were available for purchase. I must admit that I actually enjoyed them and would have liked to have gotten some. There was an amazing carved Mayan Calendar that I loved but the weight and bulk just did not lend itself to ongoing travel.
Cozumel
More accurately, Isla Cozumel is Mexico’s 3rd largest island and has countless activities on offer, both below and above the waves. The island is about 30 miles long and 9 miles wide. The name in Mayan translates to “Island of the Swallows” due to the birdlife. The place has been a long-time dive Mecca and has white sand beaches, coral reefs, modern amenities and lots of wild areas.
Over this period of intensive cruising, we came to Cozumel no less than a dozen different times. We tried to do different things each time we came but, by the end, were not even bothering to get off the ship, choosing rather to laze by the pool for the day.
Our first thing to do when entering Cozumel was to check how many other ships were there on that particular day. This was important as there could be up to 7 other ships, spewing between 1500-6000 people each. If the numbers were too big, we tended to boycott.
The good thing is that almost half of the island is ringed by a designated Marine Park. This means that there is always somewhere that you can escape to if you need to.
On a calm day, you come into a beautiful island with crystal-clear blue waters dotted with the odd hotel and numerous tourist shops and centres. The colour of the water certainly is inviting and regular daytime temps typically sit in the high 20’s.
The island is one of the top 5 dive destinations in the world thanks to the coral reefs just off the southwestern coast. Add in unusually clear water–with visibility often as great as 200 ft. The diving is fabulous with over 100 dive operators offering far more service than most top dive destinations. The west side of the island (facing the Yucatan Channel and the Mexican mainland) is where everyone lives and stays when they come to visit. This is because the west side is largely sheltered from the strong winds and battering surf and more importantly it has electricity.
If you are not a diver, on the sandy sections they offer the sea trek. This allows you just to walk along the sandy bottom and get close to (but not interact with) the coral reef.
For the non-swimmer (and non-claustrophobic) there is a submarine that will take you about 30m down and along the reefs.
Right in the centre of the developed West coast, you find the city of San Miguel, population 90,000. This relatively safe, extraordinarily friendly Mayan/Mexican community has somehow managed to retain its own customs and cultural identity despite the influx of tourists.
And by influx, I really do mean influx. On a quiet day, we were one of two ships in port; on a busy day, there were up to 7 other ships on the smallish island (these were the days that we hid by the pool).
San Miguel is a nice little town. It has a well-developed, but not too aggressive, tourist esplanade and a few blocks of tourist friendly but not feral attractions, shops and restaurants.
In town you will find the Museo de Cozumel, a combination of natural history and the expected Mayan stuff.
The town square is known as Benito Juarez Park, with the municipal hall and all associated statues etc. And of course the outdoor vendor market.
Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel (St. Michael the Archangel) is the main church in town. It is pretty modest but has some stained glass and the usual church bling.
The other main church is the Cathedral of Corpus Christi.
The waterfront (Malecon) near town and almost all along the seaside is packed with statues and monuments. The Monumento Al Mestizaje celebrates Mexico’s mix of Indigenous and Spanish peoples and cultures.
The level of popularity of Cozumel has meant that there are three separate landing points for the huge number of cruise ships that arrive each day. Punta Langosta is the first one and sits in the heart of the tourist strip, just south of downtown and within walking distance of the main square. The International Cruise Terminal (servicing cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean) is about three miles south of downtown and Puerta Maya is about five miles further south of downtown.
Getting off the ship at either of the two southern ports is obscene. You exit directly into a fully manufactured tourist area (sadly 70% + of people will never see beyond this point) complete with chain stores and bars, over-the-top pricing, duty-free shops, restaurants, and recreational areas for passengers (pools and swim-up bars etc).
But ignoring the entirely plastic version of the place, it is highly efficient (if over priced). You exit the docks into a plethora of tourist shops offering the obligatory tequila, cigars and t-shirts along with some high-end offerings to further fleece the tourists. You pass through the bars and restaurants and come into the day-club (pools and deck chairs etc) and for those still keen (very few make it this far) you pop out at an efficient transportation hub with tours, busses and taxi’s ready to take you where you want.
For the very few that make it out of the greater port area, there are some really lovely beach resorts (paid) available where (for not too crazy a price) you can kick back by some pretty spectacular beaches and get fed some really tasty local delicacies.
In addition to the beach resorts there are the usual things on offer for those that do make it out of the ports. There are more tourist shops, bars and restaurants (all considerably cheaper when you get out). The restaurants are fun and they really know and cater to their market. Many of the ship’s crew come from Asian countries, so it is common (but still odd to see) Filipino or Indonesian restaurants within a very short walk of the port.
Almost without exception, in Mexico, one of the first signs that you will see is the one saying Farmacia.
Thousands of Americans and Canadians cross the US-Mexico border for cheap prescription meds. For the most part, you can purchase prescription medications in Mexico without a prescription. You can also bring those meds back to the US. Sometimes, the savings are up to 80% on certain meds from Mexico.
Despite the boom in tourist and residential development over the last several years, Cozumel continues to have vast expanses of untouched jungle and shoreline. The large central portion of the island is mostly undeveloped jungle, brimming with wildlife.
Even near the two southern port stops, the tourist infrastructure only goes back a block or two, behind that are heavily wooded jungles and minimal other development.
On one of our trips to Cozumel we were gearing up for a quiet time when the concierge (cos we are important), who was Mexican, was telling us about the extra bits that the tourists don’t get near. His suggestions were a bit more off the (tourist) beaten path but were true local hangouts. Not being afraid of some colour in our days, we got some details and on our next 3 (not 7) ship days we followed his advice and were glad that we did.
So it was off the ship and a $10USD cab ride to town, the obligatory photos of the downtown area, statues and artworks and then off on the real adventure. The goal was the Mercado Municipal. The authentic wet markets are specific to the locals. There was the odd tourist there, and you could get some low-level trinkets, but for the most part, it was not aimed at us.
The reason for the trip was food. After glowing reviews of the price, taste and authenticity of the food here, how could we not make the effort.
And the main game was some soft pork tacos (fat and skin on) with some onion and lime juice served with some habanero chili sauce (green or red) that were truly spicy. Two tacos each and a drink each set us back about $10USD for both of us.
They were magnificent (but possibly heart attack inducing if you had them too often).
A few more blocks on from the central markets and you find yourself at San Gervasio an area that holds the ruins of the goddess Ix Chel, a deity of childbirth, fertility, medicine, and weaving.
El Cedral is a small town (not too far away) that is one of the oldest on the island with its architecture and traces of paintings on walls dating from 800 BC.
On one of our forays to Cozumel, Jill booked us into a snorkelling adventure which was quite nice but hugely overpriced, given that we never left sight of the ship. We quite literally hopped on a boat, circled our ship, went down the beach a couple of hundred meters and jumped in the crystal clear waters. On the upside, we snorkelled in a water depth that (largely) protected the coral from the clumsy tourists.
The Mexican government announced an increase in the tourist tax from $11USD per person up to $42USD regardless of whether the passenger gets off the ship. This has caused a major rethink in how cruise ships will operate in the region in future.
Royal Caribbean was the first to counter this by buying the rights to the Puerta Maya port and the surrounding area with the intent of developing perfect Day Mexico (expected by 2027).
This has already been done in the Bahamas with the company buying one of the Berry Islands and developing Perfect Day at Coco Cay and also buying the stretch of land opposite Nassau with the intent of developing a private beach club (expected December 2025).
They also purchased a private island off Haiti and developed Labadee. This move bypasses corrupt or greedy governments and ensures that all profits go into the corporate pocket. Sadly this means that there is less going to the communities that need the funds.
This seems to be a common theme among cruise ports globally (recently the port of Venice introduced a 10 euro ‘day trip fee’ for cruise ship passengers). Governments see a ready income source and keep upping prices and taxes until the cruise companies have enough and find alternatives. This is OK if the money is redirected into the tourism industry, protecting the area or supporting the attractions but Mexico’s decision was to fund the military.
Costa Maya
This was our second most visited port in Mexico, having been 6-8 times. Our first impression was not a good one. It was identical to the (southern) port area of Cozumel , in that it was a wholly manufactured area with the sole intent of milking money from the tourists. Shops, restaurants, bars, beach clubs and nothing much else.
Much like Cozumel, most people never get beyond the confines of the port area. But in reality it has been specifically designed to handle 3 big cruise ships at the same time. There is a large shopping mall, 3 salt-water swimming pools, multiple restaurants and bars and more trinket shops than you could need. If you just want to kick back, then it is fine.
Our first trip was to a private tour to a paid beach break. It was a pick-up transit and kick back at a private resort (after having fought through the mess of the port). It was perfectly reasonable (if a little expensive) but the weather made the seas a bit rough so it was too rough to swim or snorkel.
After our first visit we were about to fall into the boycott zone where we just stay on the ship to avoid the mess of touts. But in a chat we learnt of the main town of Mahahual beach. The town itself is only two streets that go parallel to the beach and can be reached by a $4 pp cab ride each way. One street is full of local souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and guesthouses. The beach is just a few meters away. While there is not a lot to do, with such crystal clear waters…who cares.
We quickly found our preferred place (The Crazy Lobster), a restaurant and beach club that does not charge for the facilities, just what you consume. And it is very reasonably priced. The first foray saw us getting the $10 buckets of beer (for 5 bottles) and offsetting the booze with some fresh chips, salsa and guacamole.
The beer stayed standard throughout our many visits, but the food options zipped in and out across the varying options until Jill finally bit the bullet and had the mixed ceviche. It always looked good, but the portion size was just too challenging.
By the third trip we were locked into Mahahual beach and the Crazy Lobster. The more we learned, the more (or less) we did. Massages on the sand were $20 for an hour, and the touts were not pushy.
The longer my hair got, the more unmanageable it became. So one day we decided that plaiting it was the obvious answer. So for $5 a plait I had 3 plaits and shaved sides.
This lasted a while until I got Jill to pull it out. It may emerge again yet.
As plastic and fake as Costa Maya is, we found a way to amuse ourselves and it is now one of our more favoured ports.
Playa del Carmen is the closest mainland town to Cozumel and is the launching point for those seeking to head inland to visit the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza (a 2 hr bus ride away).
The town itself is primarily a coastal resort town, along the Yucatán Peninsula known for its palm-lined beaches and coral reefs. The Quinta Avenida (pedestrian thoroughfare) runs parallel to the beach, with shops, restaurants and nightspots ranging from bars to dance clubs.
The beaches are nice and white, sandy and well-developed (without being stupid). The place is safer than most ports and would be a great place to come and stay for a while, rather than the usual fly through.
Yucatan – Progreso
Yucatan has a rich Mayan heritage and the main landing point is a coastal town by the name of Progreso. The city is a gateway to the inland Mayan archaeological sites of Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Dzibilchaltún.
The first thing that strikes you about the place is just how far out you are. The pier in Progreso was 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) long (one of the longest in the world) but was extended a further 1.5 kilometres to take the Guinness World Record and was presented with its certificate in July 2024.
What this means is that a lengthy bus ride to the centre of town awaits you. This also means that there is no escaping the tourist traps as you are quite literally dropped off into the heart of the CBD and are surrounded by tours and trinkets.
As crazy as it is, it is not that bad. It is certainly an assault on your senses but (for the most part) things are reasonably priced and the touts are calm and respectful.
A city tour bus is on offer for $10USD a head. On one of our forays to Progresso, we hopped the bus and did the 45-minute tour around the broader town. This took you a little further than you would have ever walked to (especially in the heat) and gave you a nice overview of the place, without raping and pillaging on the prices.
An oceanfront promenade, the Malecón, is lined with beaches and thatch-roofed bars and restaurants. And they are reasonably priced. Unlike many of the Mexican ports, Progresso is one of the more reasonably priced ones. Don’t get me wrong, they get their fair profit from the tourists, but it doesn’t feel extortionate or unreasonable like some of the other ports.
On our very first entry we caught the bus to town and just wandered the town centre, finding our way down to the Malecón. Now even in mid-winter Progresso will be 28 degrees and will go to the high 30’s and maybe even hit 40 in summer. Having walked a bit in the winter sun, we found ourselves looking for some respite and maybe even some refreshments.
Our meal and drinks were cheap, the guy at the shop next door saw a potential target and introduced himself to us and asked us to come and look at his shop. So after a couple, I obliged looking to help the local community. I found some traditional Mexican cotton shirts for sale and was willing to part with some cash to make everyone feel good about their day. When I asked the price he responded with $160USD, for a shitty cotton shirt.
I laughed, he looked offended, he espoused the virtues of his shirt, I highlighted that I would never pay that amount ($250+ Aussie) for a shirt, let alone a cheesecloth-looking thing. He wanted to start a negotiation coming down to $150USD. I again laughed and suggested that maybe we were wasting each other’s time.
He asked me what I thought was reasonable and my answer was that I would never pay more than $20USD for a cotton shirt, quickly ending our interaction. I went back to the cantina out front figuring that if he really wanted the sale he would come and grab me before we left. But he was never to be seen again.
The Faro de Puerto Progreso, built in 1893, is an active lighthouse with a range of 33 nautical miles, which equates to 62 kilometres on land.
Sendero Jurásico is the local version of piss weak world. It is a bunch of dinosaur statues (some animatronic) a bit out of town (10 mins). The tourist accounts suggest it is overpriced for what it is and that you are best to go in the evening to avoid the heat and get the lit-up night time view. We went past in (but not in) on our ($10) bus trip.
Uxmal is an ancient Mayan city (about 120 km away) that is believed to have had 25,000 people in the city (between 300 and 1200 CE).
Dzibilchaltún is a small site (about 40 km) south of the town. If you visit during the equinox you can see the sun rise right through the doorway to the temple. A testament to the astrological prowess of the Maya.
The most well-known structure at Dzibilchaltún is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, so named due to the number of small figurines discovered there. The dolls, which represent different physical deformities, are housed in the onsite museum.
Cancun
Well I nearly didn’t do this post because I couldn’t work out what to say about Cancun. Almost everything I say will be wrong…but at the same time be 100% accurate.
It is safe to say that Cancun has absolutely everything and that it offers nothing. It is Las Vegas by the ocean. Everything is overpriced. There is nothing here that is authentic but there are some very real experiences to be had here. Our exposure to Cancun is by no means representative but in hindsight I am not sure if anybody’s experience would be… it is ultimately whatever you want it to be.
It starts at the airport…from the Margarita Bar as you walk out to the $70US cab fare into town…you will be stung.
I think that it is fairly safe to say that every single 5 star resort conglomerate on the planet is represented here in Cancun at least once, with many having multiple offerings. For the most part they are incredibly flash, opulent and lavish…and the sit side by side in a 17 mile stretch of beach between the Nichupte Lagoon and the Caribbean Sea. They offer all inclusive resort deals at a premium price. A haven where your every need is catered to and there is no need to ever leave your private enclave.
Across the road from the hotels is the shops…of course…and every brand name is represented. If you can afford it, it will be available for purchase. Interspersed with the usual suspects of elite fashion and consumerism are local artisanal offerings at hugely inflated prices. These are held within large market type areas where the tourists can haggle to get their local souvenirs.
The most persistent and shrewd of hagglers may be able to get away with paying 250% over what the item is actually worth. These guys are professional sellers…and they are good at it. Enter the oblivious tourist with a wallet full of cash and an “I’m on holiday” mindset and the prices skyrocket.
The drinks are overpriced and often watered down and the food is typically exorbitantly priced. But the beaches are stunning, the service is first rate and the water is crystal blue, warm and inviting. And attached to overpriced tours are some incredibly good options of things to do in the nearby vicinity.
Of particular note are the ancient Mayan ruins (including Chichen Itsa), numerous sinkholes or nearby islands. But we were only here for around 24 hours and none of this was done by us, and certainly the 5 star world was avoided.
Instead we stayed true to form and crashed at the local backpackers in search of something that resembled the real Cancun. In this we were wrong, and we (for the most part) failed. But this more reflected our ignorance of the many versions of Cancun operating simultaneously, in parallel, and almost entirely mutually exclusively.
So what did we do…not very much. We wandered the backstreets, shopped in dodgy markets for overpriced trinkets and tried to find traditional, local places to eat. What we ended up with was a fantastic, authentic Mexican meal, from a dodgy restaurant that aimed to attract the tourists. It was cheap, tacky and brilliant.
We got incredible food, the best service we have ever received, 2 for 1 drinks, huge grins, lots of banter and a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon…and all for an reasonable price tag. And of course the meal was washed down by some of the finest Mexican coffee (tequila). And if this is the real Cancun then we dipped our toes into the water, if it isn’t then we were miles away.
Our philosophy of travel has been to get as close to what is authentic as is possible. This mostly means living meagerly and eating from street food stores or dodgy street-side restaurants. And this is what we sought and found here in Cancun, but I am not entirely sure that this was what passes as an authentic experience. Some places (like the Gold Coast in Australia) have evolved to be true tourist towns and that the tourism in its various forms is what is actually authentic. Perhaps this is the case in Cancun.
Long story short, we had a nice time and I would happily return.
Before we get into Haiti, many followers would have noticed a distinct lack of posting lately. This is because we had to cut our travels short and return home. So we are currently back in Australia, Jill has found work and we have set up in in the seaside town of Bargara (just east of Bundaberg).
Those closest to us or those that we have seen know the reason but for those that have not spoken to…we ran into some ESTA (visa) issues in the USA.
While doing our bounce around Mexico, the States and south and central American nations we received some messages on email, from the US Immigration, with a link showing the requirement for us to leave the country. As we received these emails while sitting in various towns and cities in Mexico, Jamaica (or in this case) even Haiti, we were somewhat perplexed.
Our forays throughout the region saw us arriving to the USA and hanging for between 1-4 days before we left again on a cruise ship to visit the broader region. Given that we were leaving the USA every week, we believed that we were fully compliant with the ESTA conditions.
Alas, this all came to a head when we got off a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale and were directed into a side room, rather than the usual face recognition border checkpoint. At this point we were advised that we had overstayed our ESTA by 43 days (based on the day that we first entered the USA back in November). They advised us that a condition of the ESTA was that we needed to leave the country.
At this point I mentioned that we were in Haiti yesterday, and Jamaica the day before, and that neither of those were in the USA and therefore we had left their country. This is when we were told that because a cruise ship starts and ends at the same port, it is classified as a closed loop, no matter where else it goes to, and does not count as leaving the country.
This at least made the random emails make sense. After some back and forth it was clear that there was no malice or intention to overstay on our behalf. But the reality was that we had, and they then gave us the news that we would need to leave the country.
We had another cruise or two booked (which we had to miss – and lose the money for) but we were allowed to leave of our own accord and were not dragged off to any form of ICE detention centre. So from the cruise terminal we were due to catch a train for the next cruise but instead opted to head to the airport and depart.
A few monster transits and we had gone from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto to Vancouver to Singapore. We then stopped for a breath and made a plan. THe plan involved going to visit Brad and Nora in the Philippines before popping over to Phnom Penh for a week. Then heading to Sydney to visit Jimmy and Claudia (with a visit from Mike and Patricia) , before heading to Brisbane to see the family and another breath.
Anyway, drama over, lets talk about Haiti.
Country #95 Country & Territory # 132
Haiti, is a country of around 11 million, in the Caribbean taking up about a third of the island of Hispaniola (with Dominican Republic taking up the other side) and some smaller islands (Gonâve, Tortue (Tortuga), Grande Caye, and Vache)
The population of Haiti is almost entirely descended from enslaved African people. It won its independence from France in 1804 but over the centuries economic, political, and social difficulties along with natural disasters have left Haiti with an ineffective government, chronic poverty and serious gang problems.
In 2010 an earthquake killed over a quarter of a million people in less than a minute, leaving about 1.5 million homeless. This was followed by a cholera epidemic then a series of alternating hurricanes, earthquakes or flooding, every year or two.
The democratically elected President was assassinated in 2021 so the Prime Minister took control and failed to hold elections multiple times (claiming it was due to logistical problems or violence). By the time he announced a further postponement until 2025 the violence took over. According to a report by the U.N. more than 8,400 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2023.
Armed groups have attacked airports, police stations, sea ports, the Central Bank and the country’s national soccer stadium. The two main prisons were raided, leading to the escape of about 4,000 prisoners.
To set the scene, the Australian Government travel advisory website (Smart Traveller) recommends that we… Do not travel to Haitidue to the dangerous security situation, threat of violent crime, kidnapping and severe shortages of basic necessities including fuel, water and food.
On the weekend that we were the gang leader’s child was sick, so obviously he blamed it on those that practice voodoo. So the only real option that he had was to kill over 180 people who practised voodoo.
In late December gang members looted, then destroyed and finally set fire to the only trauma hospital in the country. Millions of dollars of life-saving resources are gone. The first day, they threw Molotov cocktails over the wall burning a lot of it, the next day, despite the police, trying to defend it, they overwhelmed and jumped over the wall and began to ravage and pillage and steal everything. They stole microscopes (which is ridiculous because they don’t know how to use them and there is nowhere to sell them). They broke everything they couldn’t carry out, destroying millions of dollars worth of monitors, microscopes, operating, imaging and ICU equipment.
Any way you try and dress it up, Haiti is one of the most broken countries on the planet. Sadly, it is also one of the prettiest. If they could actually get their shit together it would easily rival and surpass many of its Caribbean neighbours.
In real terms (for all of the above reasons) we didn’t really experience Haiti, but we did land on the island of Hispaniola, in the area owned and controlled by Haiti. But what we REALLY saw was a place called Labadee.
Labadee is a 260-acre, entirely manufactured, private resort on the northern part of the island. It was leased to Royal Caribbean in 1985 by the government of Haiti (under the leadership of the dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier). This lease was later extended to 2050.
The resort is completely tourist-oriented and is guarded by a private security force. The site is doubly fenced off from the surrounding area; passengers cannot leave the property and locals cannot enter. Food available to tourists is brought from the cruise ships. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort.
This private bay and port of call is worth a trip but can only be accessed if you are on a cruise that includes Labadee on its itinerary. It is a beautiful place known for its beaches, crystal clear waters, artisanal market, and the ‘Dragon’s Breath’ (the world’s longest over-water zipline).
There are also plenty of water activities and tours available like fishing charters, luxury sailboat trips, snorkeling excursions, and catamaran cruises. Maximize your day by hopping on the free tram to get around. December through April are good months to visit for pleasant weather.
Dragon’s Breath is a thrilling zipline adventure where you race down a 2,600-foot flight line while sitting up, enjoying stunning views and landing at Dragon’s Breath Rock. On the other hand, Dragon’s Fire Zipline takes you on a sky-high adventure as you race head-first like “Superman” along 2,800 feet of cable over the ocean, offering a different route and perspective of Labadee’s beautiful scenery. Dragons Breath Zipline – Enjoy stunning views as you zip down a 2,600-foot flight line at speeds of 40 to 50 mph, landing at Dragon’s Breath Rock.
Attractions include a Haitian flea market, beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, an alpine coaster, and the largest zip-line over water.
If you could actually get into Haiti proper, there are some nice things to see. Some of these include:
Laferriere Citadel most commonly known as Citadele Henri, is the largest fortress in the Americas. Located in the town of Milot, a 6-8 hour drive north of the capital.
The mountaintop fortress was built to demonstrate the power of the independent Haiti (1804) and to protect its citizens if the French attempted to retake the nation.
The 100,000 square foot building includes several cisterns and storehouses, designed to provide enough food and water for the royal family and up to 5000 people to survive an entire year under siege. The Citadel is equipped with over 150 cannons – mostly captured in battle from the English, the French and the Spanish – and thousands of cannon balls, once over 50,000 in total. With such an armoury and walls over 13 feet wide and 100 feet high, the fortress was impenetrable.
Sans-Souci Palace, which translates to ‘the Worry-Free Palace’, dates back to 1811. Like the Citadel it was built just after Haitian independence.
The Palace was built as a residence for the revolutionary leader (Henri Christophe), who would become king in 1811. The palace was one of many lavish constructions commissioned shortly after independence.
And if you could get to them, Haiti has some of the most amazing beaches.
Long story short, Haiti is a stunning Caribbean paradise destination that is just too dangerous to come to. The people understand their issues and plead for the tourists to come and spend their money, but the corruption, gangs and violence means that it will not happen. The adventurous side of me really wants to come and explore more fully, but the self-preservation side will continue to win.
Continuing on our exploration of the various cruise ports of Florida we found our way to Tampa.
This entire section of the trip is a mess. We are visiting some cities and places multiple times, making a timeline of where we are and in what order virtually impossible.
Add to this the fact that many of the itineraries are pretty similar and overlap considerably means that we will be in and out of ports so many times. Each time we endeavour to see and experience different things, so posting after a single visit is counter-productive.
Our Forays in and out of Tampa has seen us taking all manner of transportation (planes, trains and automobiles. For the most part, public transportation in the USA does not exist.
The exception to this is the Amtrak railway system. We have used this on numerous occasions in hopping between ports. Overall, we have enjoyed our trips on Amtrak, but they are far from efficient. The schedule is a guide at best and virtually every train has been late. One of them was 5 hours late to pick us up (and we got on the 2nd stop) and even more by the time we got off. While the train is always late, the trip and experience itself was quite enjoyable. You get to see the backblocks of rural america and watch the world go by in relative comfort.
Anyway, lets talk about Tampa, just before our first arrival the greater Tampa Bay region was battered by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton in the span of just 65 days. Despite three big hits, the place was in remarkably good shape. You could see the repairs underway, but the place still looked good.
Our first experience was great, the place was clean, felt safe and was considerably cheaper than other port cities (notably Miami). Our meals were excellent and reasonably priced (although we could have shared one given the US portion sizes). The main thing that you notice about Tampa is the waterfront and its interaction with the city.
A bayside city really is pretty, Sydney has its whole lifestyle built around its harbour. We have seen them all over the globe and Tampa is no different. Being in the US (and Florida specifically), Tampa has its fair share of attractions, theme parks, zoos and aquariums. The cruise terminal sits directly next door to the Florida Aquarium.
Be warned, this place has dynamic pricing. If you just lob up on the day, a ticket will set you back $45 (higher on weekends). But if you know you are coming and are able to book a week or more out, then this can go down to $36.
A highlight to leaving Tampa by ship is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Spanning a 4 mile section of water, the bridge’s clearance only allows ships of a certain size to go under it.
Bayshore Boulevard is the second longest continuous sidewalk in the US stretching 7.2 km. It runs along the waterfront and offers some pretty spectacular views of the city.
After our first foray we headed off on a cruise and returned to spend a day before departing on another cruise. Our stopover saw us hopping onto the TECO Line Streetcar. This is a 2.7 mile free streetcar line that links the city with the Port of Tampa and extends through to the dining and entertainment district of Ybor City (more about this later). The streetcar features 11 stations and provides a fun, relaxing and historical trip.
Being in need of a few top up items, in between cruises, we hopped an Uber and headed to the local Walmart (quickly becoming a personal favourite of mine). Oh my, what a different view of Tampa we got. As beautiful as the city centre and waterfront is, drive a few blocks inland and the world changed very quickly. Within minutes you are into what can best be described as a slum.
The first Walmart-run was into East Tampa and was really very much into a slum. On a subsequent trip, we headed to the Walmart in West Tampa, and the experience was very much better. But this difference between a stunning waterfront, a nice western district and an absolute hovel was confronting. All three of these places are within about 5 km of each other.
The third foray into Tampa saw us setting up camp in Ybor City. The main reason for this was the expense of accommodation in town.
The average pricing closer to the port is around $500 a night, but if you head out a bit, this can drop to around $200. Still not cheap, but at least manageable for people on a long term journey.
Ybor City is the Historic district of town that is best known for its Latin and cigar manufacturing heritage. Its streets are filled with restaurants, bars, and cafes serving Cuban coffee and sandwiches. But sadly, the rentable accommodations in Ybor city are beyond the funky town and are underneath the freeway, on the edge of the slum area discussed a bit earlier. In the various trips in and out we stayed in 4 different places that could not have been more different if they had tried.
The first was a Holiday Inn that was perfectly acceptable, the next was an AirBnB that was awesome, the next was a hovel that was filthy and stunk of weed and we were woken the screaming of domestic violence. The next was a Quality Inn that was good, but the breakfast included the local homeless walking in and helping themselves to the buffet, and the last was back to the Holiday Inn.
Our biggest issue in being in Tampa is not having transportation. Everything is spread out (not in a crazy way but too much to walk, and (apart from the super cool tram) there is no functional public transportation system. This puts us at the mercy of taxis and Ubers.
On one day leaving the cruise ship the Uber started at $15, by the time we got off the ship their dynamic pricing had that number jump to $50. So we went across the road and got a cab (which tacked on a port pickup fee) and our trip to Walmart cost us $35. The return had dropped back down and cost us $13.
Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center – Manatees tend to prefer and search for warmer waters. Once upon a time they sought out natural springs as warm water refuges, but we humans have blocked, canaled, or drained many of them. Today the option left is that manatees tend to gather at power plants in the warm water the plants emit. So in Tampa they built the Manatee Viewing Center so everyone could have a chance to see manatees gather. The discharge canal is now a designated manatee sanctuary.
Overall, we enjoyed Tampa. As a transit point, it is nice, the city and dockside area were lovely and (apart from CBD accommodation) the place is much more reasonably priced than other Florida port cities. Future trips could happily include Tampa.
Texas is the second largest US state (after Alaska) and includes 269,000 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation’s total area. It extends nearly 1,600 km from north to south and about the same distance from east to west.
We have all heard about how big Texas is. So in terms of reference for all of the Aussie readers, four of our six states are all bigger than Texas and the NT is double its size. It is almost (87%) the size of NSW or 37% as big as Queensland and about a quarter the size of WA.
The area that is now Texas was part of the Spanish Empire for more than a century. It then became part of the new country of Mexico from 1821 to 1836, when it gained its independence. It then operated for a short time as an independent republic before joining the Union.
Now let’s not be silly, we have all seen the cowboy movies of a raw and lawless frontier but now it is known for its agricultural wealth, oil and natural gas production, big cities and cattle. That said, the locals still identify strongly with their cowboy roots.
The Rio Grande is the most important river in Texas. It flows about 3,060 kilometres from its source in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado into the Gulf of Mexico (now apparently to be renamed to the Gulf of America), and its Texas segment forms the border between the United States and Mexico.
OK…back to the movies. I have seen tons of cowboy movies and have yet to see a cold cowboy.
But we arrived in the middle of a cold snap and it was freezing…literally.
A series of cold fronts coupled with a surge of arctic air moved into Southeast Texas, dropping temperatures below freezing. The cold snap brought the coldest air of the season with hard freezes. The airports (particularly Houston) were closed, snow landed on us, cars were covered in snow and ice was all over the sides of the roads.
And we were broadly ill-equipped.
Curtis and Mark
Our trip to Texas was part of our ‘see different cruise ship ports’ concept. While on the various segments of the World Cruise we shared a dinner table and became great friends with Mark and Curtis, a couple that lived in Dallas.
When we mentioned our trip they offered to drive down (a 5-6 hour drive) to meet us and show us around.
More than that, Curtis had put together the most amazing schedule of definite and possible trips that we could do on our road trip. We (Jill) provided some guidance, but for the most part, Curtis just put together a fantastic schedule for us.
Galveston
The City of Galveston came into being in 1839 and has functioned as the main port and gateway to the Southwest. The city’s transport was integral in developing the area. It sits on a 50 km long island just off the coast (about 80km southeast of Houston and pretty much solely relies on the port, beaches and tourism.
Our first foray saw us being picked up from the Houston Airport and delivered to our hotel (which as it happened had burnt down). We arrived to a roped-off hotel with obvious scorch marks all over the outside and guys pulling debris out.
Thankfully our driver didn’t just dump and run but went in to check. Long story short, we found ourselves being moved to another nearby hotel.
On a side note on our driver, I noticed he was drinking Dr Pepper. Having heard of it but never tasted it, I asked what flavour it actually was.
He explained that it was a Texas specialty that they had grown up on.
After our hotel debacle, he made a pit stop and whilst inside he shouted us two cans, just to be nice.
We drank it (later on) and found it not to our taste.
Galveston holds the unenviable record of being the last bastion for legal slavery in all of America. Juneteenth honours the date (19 June 1865 ) when 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas received word that they had been freed from bondage and were declared free.
The first entry saw the weather being very cold and we were being buffeted by offshore winds making the cold temperatures seem even worse. So we went to the closest restaurant that we could walk to. A Vietnamese / Cajun fusion joint. Now if this seems both odd and a little wrong to you, then you would be correct.
After this we hopped a cruise into Mexico for a week before getting off and being met by Curtis and Mark.
Our return journey to Galveston (after the road trip with the boys) saw us coming into a town with snow on the ground. Thankfully we had a vehicle so were not stuck with walking distance. A great Texan saloon had me starting with a prawn and cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper, before trying some of Curtis’ chicken fried steak (like a beef schnitzel with a white sauce), before getting into my main of ribs and chicken. All of this washed down with a local Bock beer.
Houston
Having left Galveston for a cruise (the first time) we were picked up on arrival by the boys (Curtis and Mark) and did the quick (45 minute) hop up the road to Houston with our first stop being the beer can house. The owner (a retired upholsterer) started in 1968 when he began inlaying thousands of marbles, rocks, and metal pieces into concrete so as to avoid having to mow the lawn.
When the entire front and back yard were completely covered he turned to the house itself. He began flattening aluminium beer cans to create siding for the house. Over the next 18 years, the house disappeared under a cover of flattened beer cans. He then added decorative garlands (wind chimes) made of cut beer cans hanging from the roof edges.
Interestingly, the aluminium siding lowered the family’s energy bills. The owner drank (with a little help from his friends) all of the beer cans that were used.
The next proposed stop was Hermann Park, a 445 acre park in the centre of town. But a tight schedule and freezing temperatures saw us bypassing this and moving on.
San Antonio
From Houston, we kept zooming across to the town of San Antonio which is primarily known as the home of the Alamo. This is where Texas defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna and the phrase ‘Remember the Alamo’ originated. The Alamo is considered the cradle of Texas liberty and the state’s most popular historic site.
Established as a mission, it later became a military stronghold for Texas Independence. It is free to visit but you must still book a ticket (for scheduling of crowds). The place was freezing and the winds were howling. This was great for low crowds and getting photos, but not really ideal for hanging around and soaking up the history.
Curtis’ research had identified the best sandwich joint in the area.
So we managed a stop at the dodgy little hole in the wall with amazing food and service.
Jill and I split one, before going back and getting another (different) one. They were that good.
Austin
The next stop was the capital city of Austin which is located on the Colorado River in south-central Texas with a population of just under a million.
The city dates back to the 1830’s, when the first settlers arrived in the area. Originally called the village of Waterloo, it was the first permanent settlement in the area. By 1839 the name Austin was adopted and the frontier town would become the capital of the Republic of Texas.
Our accommodation was a shared room at a local hostel so rather than trip over each other all night, we headed downstairs to the built-in speakeasy (hidden access behind the bookcase).
Finding the place playing rubbish music, too loud, and being infested by screaming women (Americans really do not have an inside voice), our visit was a short one.
The next stop was out to a local (gay) bar that saw us listening to great music and sampling some local brews at a great price of $7 a pitcher (jug). We kicked back here (The Iron Bear) in the warm and settled in while watching the snow fall on the vehicles outside.
The plan for the next day was to walk around town taking in the local sights. But I (and thankfully Mark too) am quite the wuss when it comes to cold weather. Our parking required us to move the car and the thought of walking on snow-covered ground in sub-zero temperatures did not appeal. It even froze the running waters in the fountains.
In reality, had the weather been more conducive, the planned day would have been eminently walkable. But instead, we drove short hops between the tourist sights rather than doing the planned walking route. In reality we probably missed out on some of the cool things on offer, but we did stay warm.
The tourist blurb claimed that the Barton Springs Pool is a swimmer’s paradise that features clear water fed from underground springs that stays a refreshing 68 degrees year-round, along with grassy hills for sunbathing.
Just minutes from downtown the pool is located in the heart of the 360-acre Zilker Park. Needless to say we did not do this in the snow. But our drive around town revealed a very pretty green city with lots of outdoor space that in all other seasons would be great.
Before starting the (next) day properly, we went across the road to the flash hotel for breakfast.
This saw Jill and I splitting a hot cinnamon bun with cream cheese frosting and having a coffee each.
It cost us $50 Aussie for this pleasure, but according to Jill it was worth it. So much so that we did it again the next day.
The first stop on our (now) driving trip was to see the worlds largest Longhorn, which is a statue bizarrely placed in the middle of a carpark near the heart of Austin.
The actual world’s largest longhorn is a steer named Poncho Via, who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest horn spread on a living steer. Poncho’s horns measure over 3 m from tip to tip.
The Littlefield Fountain monument was next. It was erected to honour the “Sons and Daughters of the University of Texas” who gave their lives during World War I.
Rising behind the fountain is the University of Texas tower. This was the site of the University of Texas tower shooting in 1966, where a 25-year-old Marine veteran, shot and killed 15 people (including an unborn child) and injured 31 others before he was killed by police. You can’t climb the tower anymore.
The main feature in town is the impressive capitol building which is made from Texas pink granite. It served as the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1840-1842. We had seen it the night before all lit up, but now we got to go in and explore both the buildings and the impressive grounds.
And the grounds were pretty cool too.
Austin is considered the live music capital of the world (their claim). That said, there was an impressive number of saloons and bars along the streets that may give some credence to this claim (but without knowing, I think that New Orleans probably has a better claim).
The next stop was to the Museum of the Weird. This is one of the last remaining curio shows made famous by P.T. Barnum in the 1800’s. The place has monsters, zombies, mummies, shrunken heads and movie oddities. It was pretty lame, but for $12 its not like it broke the bank, so in we went.
There is a 10 mile hike and bike trail/boardwalk that loops around Lady Bird Lake. The trail varies from paved to packed dirt and crosses the lake at several points via pedestrian bridges if you want to cut it short. The south side provides views of the city skyline while the north side allows you to explore downtown Austin.
The lake was named after “Lady Bird” (Claudia Alta) Johnson the former first lady and wife of president Lyndon B Johnson. As first lady, she broke new ground by interacting directly with congress and making solo electioneering tours. She advocated beautifying the cities and highways claiming “Where flowers bloom, so does hope”. The eventual Highway Beautification Act became known as “Lady Bird’s Bill”.
One of the cooler things that we saw while wandering the streets of Austin was the Uber Eats delivery robot.
A rolling GPS-controlled travelling hotbox/esky that brings your food to you.
Very cool.
And of course, we finished Austin off with some Texas BBQ.
Smoked meats and sausages, ribs, brisket, corn bread and spicy mac and cheese.
Box ticked.
Waco
Leaving Austin we were heading to Fort Worth (Curtis had organised a Rodeo trip) but on the way we stopped at the town of Waco. To be honest the only thing that I knew about Waco before coming here was that it was the site of a shootout and siege (1993) between the ATF and the Branch Davidians. The original incident involved a shootout that killed 6 Branch Davidians and 4 agents. A 51 day siege followed that ended when they set fire to the facility killing 79 people, including leader David Koresh and 21 children.
Despite this, the town itself was quite lovely. Our first stop was to the riverfront to a tribute to the Chisolm Trail (an overland cattle drive route from Texas to Kansas through Indian territory).
The next stop was to wander along the Waco riverwalk (Jill and Curtis – Mark and I stayed in the warm car) where a series of very cool animal statues lined the riverside on the path towards the zoo.
The next stop was the Waco Mammoth National Monument which sits within 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. Designated a National Park the site is an active dig site for ice age mammoths.
A bunch of mammoths have been found embedded in the riverbank mud. For a measly $6USD you can get a guided tour and explanation about the discovery and excavation that started back in 1978 and continues through to today.
Silver Stars and Sixguns
Waco is home to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Ranger story begins in 1823, when there was a need for a body of men to protect the colony. Ten men were employed …to act as rangers for the common defence.
These men, not soldiers, not even militia, “ranged” the area, protecting settlers from Indians. When no threat seemed evident, the men returned to their families and land.
A former Ranger Captain once said “A Ranger is an officer who is able to handle any given situation without definite instructions from his commanding officer or higher authority. This ability must be proven before a man becomes a Ranger.” Despite the existence of other forms of law enforcement, the rangers have remained to this day.
Fort Worth
The road trip continued through to the city of Fort Worth. Formerly two separate cities, Dallas and Fort Worth have been joined by urban sprawl and are now connected by 30 miles of suburbs. We only had an overnight here, but Curtis had arranged it so that we were here for the first night of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
Now I had never been to a real rodeo. Jill had grown up with them, but I grew up in town. So this was my chance. The night we were there was part of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Professional Tour. Specifically, it was the Last Man Standing event, which meant that 40 riders rode 40 bulls over 4 days in a knockout format to determine an overall winner.
Now this is no dodgy bush rodeo. This was an indoor, air-conditioned 10 thousand (cushioned) seat stadium with all of the modern amenities that you would expect (maybe not from a rodeo though).
Big screen replays, closeups, interviews, fireworks displays, halftime shows (kids wrangling sheep) it had it all.
It even had an Australian (Queenslander) competing.
As it turns out he came third overall in the last man standing event after the 4 days of knockout.
At the time of writing the post he had won the next event and was the number one bull rider on the PBR.
The whole thing was full of 60kg kids (dumb enough to get on a bull in the first place) getting pummeled by monstrous animals.
There were a few older ones (one was 40) but they were the exception. And everybody limped.
We did get a beer at the beginning of the night, but stadium prices combined with big night atmosphere, meaning that it cost us $50 Aussie for 2 beers. We sipped them very slowly and went home having thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Dallas
Dallas was the next morning stop for us. Coming into town we got some pretty amazing cityscape views including the iconic Reunion Tower. This 171m (561 feet) tower has an observation deck (the GeO-Deck) at 143m (only 470) feet above street level. The tower offers a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view of the city.
Our time in Dallas was extremely limited (we had to get back to Galveston for another cruise) but we did get some time to poke about. One of the things on Curtis’ itinerary of possible things to do was to get into some of the iconic sites features on the old TV show Dallas. Being a bit young, and not really into soap operas we passed. But if this is your thing then it is certainly an option.
The first thing we did go to was the giant eyeball.
A 30-foot-tall fiberglass, resin, and steel sculpture is a replica of the artist’s own eye.
The eye made its debut in Dallas in 2013, since then, it has become the city’s most unique private event space hosting the annual Dallas Art Fair’s closing soirée, along with countless weddings, parties, yoga classes, and selfies.
The next was just checking out the funky buildings in and around the CBD. The tour included the infamous Pegasus that first landed in Downtown Dallas in 1934. It started its life atop the city’s (then) tallest building (the 29-story Magnolia Hotel) as a welcome to visiting petroleum gurus. A Pegasus is a mythological Greek symbol of wealth, power and fame it was adopted as the enduring symbol of Mobil.
On 22 November 1963, at around 12:30pm, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in an open-roofed Lincoln Continental motorcade in Dallas. As it was passing the Texas School Book Depository (now the Dallas County Administration Building) and Dealey Plaza. On a sunny day, with thousands of fans applauding.
The first bullet sparked off the pavement. The second burst through Kennedy’s shoulder and plunged into the thorax of Texas governor John Connally riding in the front seat immediately in front of Kennedy. The third and final shot blew Kennedy’s head into what soldiers call the “pink mist”, an explosion of blood and brain matter that left a crater in his head the size of a softball, and launched what was to become the mother of all conspiracy theories (skeptoid.com).
Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a recently hired employee at the Book Depository (L). The assassination spawned numerous conspiracy theories and included a likely shot from the grassy knoll (R). The conspiracy theories have become so prevalent that today, depending on which poll you look at, between 2/3 and 3/4 of Americans believe that Oswald was not the lone killer of Kennedy.
The most popular conspiracy theories include:
the Sicilian Mafia killing Kennedy – for his actions against organised crime;
the CIA – because of his dissatisfaction with their progress against the Cuban regime;
the FBI – for no clear reason but they seemingly must have
the Secret Service – also for no reason other than their failure to protect his life that day must have been deliberate;
the Soviet KGB, to retaliate against Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba;
the Ku Klux Klan – because Kennedy was a Catholic and a civil rights advocate instead of a Protestant and a racist;
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson – as a way to succeed to the Presidency; and
Cuba’s Fidel Castro – to kill Kennedy before Kennedy could kill him.
And in all of these theories, and in scores and scores of others, there is always some implication that Lee Harvey Oswald was set up to be the fall guy due to some perceived connection. A short walk from here is the rather unassuming JFK memorial plaza.
Our Dallas pop-in done we were back on our roadtrip back to Galveston to hop on the next cruise ship. Now no road trip in Texas can be discussed without mentioning Buc-ees, which is a chain of super-sized petrol stations that are stupidly big. The number of pumps at a Buc-ee’s locations vary, but most have around 100 with the largest in Luling, Texas, which has 120 petrol (gas) pumps. This does not include the diesel pumps and EV charging stations.
Buc-ees has country stores and gas station locations in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri. According to Florida news, in 2025 Florida will build the newest Buc-ee’s. It will boast an 80,000-square-foot travel centre with 120 gas pumps and more than 720 parking spots for visitors. It already holds the world record for the biggest convenience store and the longest car wash.
The armadillo is the official state mammal and is one of my favourite looking beasts. Many armadillos escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety.
Road trip over.
So much thanks needs to be sent to both Mark and Curtis. Mark drove almost all the way and Curtis invested a huge amount of effort in the research and planning.
They joined us on the cruise and enjoyed it so much that they stayed on for another round, while we headed off to our next.
The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that are part of the United States. The USVI includes St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, Water Island, and many smaller islands and cays.
The first thing that you need to know is that if you are in the Caribbean and looking to shop, then this is the place to do it. St Thomas is designated duty free, but more importantly, people here are not looking to blindly profiteer like they are in most of the rest of the Caribbean.
By way of example, the ubiquitous Caribbean shirts can be bought on each and every island. They are of varying quality but the ones in the USVI are of excellent quality and will cost between $10-15 USD (depending on your negotiation skills). The ones on other islands are of lesser quality and asking prices will go as high as $100 USD with most places asking around $50.
St. Croix
St Croix is the largest of the USVI and over the years has flown the flags of Spain, The Netherlands, England, France, the Knights of Malta and Denmark.
There are two towns on the island, Christiansted and Frederiksted.
Our first foray here was a bit different from the usual cruise port. We were on a cruise from Port Canaveral and were due to get on another cruise going out of New Orleans and did not have enough time to get from Port Canaveral to New Orleans in time to get the next ship. So our alternative was to get off at St Croix, spend a couple of days, and fly to New Orleans (via Atlanta).
Our cruise ship dropped us off at the town of Frederiksted. It is the smallest of the two towns but has nice Victorian architecture and has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts after the return of the cruise ships. Frederiksted boasts a fort that once protected the island from both pirates and rival nations.
Fort Frederik, also known as Frederiksfort was built between 1752 and 1760 by Denmark-Norway to defend the economic interests of the natural deep water port of Frederiksted and to ward off pirates. It is from this fort that Danish Governor-General (Peter von Scholten) emancipated the slaves in 1848. The park surrounding the fort is now known as Emancipation Park.
The Frederiksted Pier is known for its sunsets and is a top spot for diving and snorkeling right off the pier. The area around the pier is teeming with marine life, making it an accessible and rewarding spot for underwater explorers. Additionally, the town of Frederiksted has charming streets and historic architecture that visitors can explore after a day in the water.
Having hopped off the ship with all of our stuff we negotiated a van to take us to the other side of the island to the town of Christiansted. Between the two towns are the ruins and remains of hundreds of former sugar and cattle estates.
Situated on the north shore of the island Christiansted was once the capital of the Danish West Indies and has many historic Danish buildings – typified by their buttery colour and red roofs. The main tourist thing around is the Christiansted National Historic Site.
The site consists of six historic structures: Fort Christiansværn (built between1738 and 1749), the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse (1749), the Church of Our Lord Sabaoth Steeple Building (1753), Customs House (built 1840-1842), the Scale House (1856), and Government House (1747). The Danish West India and Guinea Company held slave auctions in its warehouse until 1803, when the slave trade was outlawed.
Our accommodation was right near the water, just back from the walkway that had been built along the waterfront. The waterfront was small but full of activity with all of the expected bars and restaurants.
We found a place for afternoon drinks overlooking the water and after dark even found what passed as a credible attempt at a pizza.
The downside to St Croix was the locals. We were warned both by the taxi driver and again later by the local ranger that there was a defined area that was safe for tourists and that we should not stray beyond this area.
There was a really nice looking church/cathedral thing that usually we would have ventured to, but it was distinctly outside of the ‘safe zone’. While we are both pretty adventurous travellers, but neither of us are stupid. The ‘safe zone’ felt considerably less safe the further that you got from the centre, so going beyond just for a photo of a church seemed a bit excessive.
Point Udall is also on the island and marks the easternmost point in the United States with its signature sundial monument.
St. John
St John is the smallest and most unspoilt of the USVI. It is considered to have some of the most unspoiled land and underwater habitats in the Caribbean.
We did not go to St John but it offers crystal-clear, turquoise waters that provide views of sea turtles and rays along with coral and brilliantly coloured fish within mere meters of the shoreline. Making it one of the best places to snorkel in the Caribbean.
On the land is the 5,500-acre Virgin Islands National Park (more than half of the island) that is crisscrossed by more than three dozen hiking trails. The island has dozens of virtually crowd-free, white-sand beaches.
St. Thomas
St. Thomas is the most developed of the USVI and is the shopping capital of the Caribbean. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to buy goods duty-free.
We first came here back in 2019 as part of our (me and Jimmy) 50th birthday celebrations but did not do any sort of writeup or publish any of the pictures. As with this time around, we arrived by ship and were delivered to the main town of Charlotte Amalie.
The town itself is kinda cute as it sits on a beautiful harbour surrounded by blue waters on one side and green hills on the other. The town is dotted with quaint little cottages and powdery sand beaches.
St. Thomas is home to Fort Christian, built in 1680, the fort served as a critical point of defence and government during the entire period of the Dano-Norwegian, and later Danish, administration. This ended ended in 1917 when the islands were sold to the United States. It currently holds the St. Thomas Museum, which holds artifacts and art of the Dano-Norwegian period.
St Thomas is also home to Blackbeard’s Castle (currently closed due to cyclone damage). Originally erected in 1679 (by the Danes) as a watchtower to protect the harbour it was originally called Skytsborg(meaning protection castle). It sits at the highest point of Government Hill and was great for firing on enemy ships but not so good at seeing them enter the harbour in the first place.
It is not known when it took on the name of Blackbeard’s Castle, but the infamous pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard), sailed the Caribbean in the early 18th century. It has become part of the lore of the island that he used the tower as a lookout for his own purposes. It ended up as a private residence for many years, and was turned into a hotel, but is no longer open to the public.
The USVI are surrounded by beautiful oceans that seem remarkably clean and well managed (unlike much of the Caribbean). Even stepping off the ships at the various ports reveals teeming wildlife within the waters. As mentioned, the piers, walkways and docks have abundant sea life and the tourist operators seemed responsible and not the cowboys that we usually run into.
Without the safety concerns, I would recommend coming here for a week or two to explore the water life. The prices were not crazy (except for taxi’s) so a car hire and some accommodation in the ‘safe zone’ would make for a good trip. My sense was that most of the ‘issues’ with the locals took place after dark once the alcohol and drugs kicked in (paraphrasing the helpful ranger), and that daytime beach excursions would be fine.
Honduras is a country of about 9 million in Central America bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.
Honduras has a Mayan history dating back 3000 years, it became independent (from the Spanish) in 1821 and has since been a republic, although it has consistently endured much social strife and political instability and remains one of the poorest countries.
In the first recorded encounter between the Spanish and the Maya (in 1502), Christopher Columbus’ brother (Bartholomew) encountered a Mayan trading vessel from Yucatán, carrying well-dressed Maya and a rich cargo. Bartholomew’s men stole the cargo they wanted and kidnapped the ship’s elderly captain to serve as an interpreter. More devastating for the local people was exposure to infectious diseases (smallpox and measles) to which they had no immunity.
Safety
Honduras has a reputation for a reason. There is a history of crime in Honduras, in fact, Honduras has the second-highest murder rate in the world after El Salvador (another one of my favourite countries) and is often called the murder capital of the world.
The websites suggest that ‘Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, and kidnapping, remains common. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, narcotics, and human trafficking, is widespread. Local authorities may lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime incidents’.
In reality though, about 85% of the murders that do happen in Honduras, are related to drug and gang violence. They usually happen between rival groups and within the territories they control. The gangs only control small areas or neighbourhoods in larger cities. Small towns, rural areas and tourist destinations are pretty much gang-free. And tourists are not targeted at all.
Roatan Island
Our foray into Honduras was onto the island of Roatan (population 41 thousand) which lies about 65 kms off the mainland. The island is 77kms long and around 8km wide. Beautifully set up for the cruise industry, you get off into a manufactured shopping mall complete with all you could ever want (at exorbitant prices).
In fact, most people never venture beyond these confines. The area is crisp, clean, flat, beautifully paved and entirely safe. It has bars, shops, cafes and restaurants and is totally removed from the reality that lies just outside the gates.
But we are outside the gates sort of people. So off we went, turning right and heading towards the major town of Coxen Hole (population 5000). To say that this is a tiny shithole would be fair. The the town, infrastructure and amenities are basic at best and most likely reflect the reality of living in Honduras (rather than the manufactured version – inside the gate).
Our town journey took us along some pretty dodgy-looking streets and past the roosters and goats in the heart of the CBD. But as sketchy as it all was, at every point, we were greeted by huge smiles and friendly locals everywhere we went. Everyone was super friendly and if the local signs were any reflection, then they all had a great sense of humour to go with it.
That said, we still pulled up short of trying out the local delicacy of Iguana.
The island itself is stunning, with beautiful beaches, natural reefs, and the best that nature has to offer. But you really do leave here wondering how sustainable it is and for how much longer will it be available.
The first thing that you notice is that (apart from beach and snorkelling) the highlights are a 270-meter high point of the island, a questionably safe zip line and an ethically questionable sloth and monkey tours. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good sloth, but these are not sanctuaries, they are tourist photo opportunities.
I guess the key thing here is that on such a small island, there are no less than 4 sloth and monkey ‘sanctuaries‘ all of which are remarkably close to the tourist centres. In addition to the sloth photos, you can also have photo opportunities with White Face Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys, Parrots and Scarlet Macaws.
Other than the wildlife that had been ripped from nature the only other real things on offer is zip lining and ATV tours.
On Roatan you can find the Fantasy Island Beach Resort, which is a gorgeous 21-acre all-inclusive private island.
Set on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef it offers 3 private beaches and snorkeling on the world’s second largest barrier reef. Added to the beach fare are extensive grounds and tropical gardens, filled with iguanas, peacocks and Capuchin monkeys.
Our second foray onto Roatan happened two weeks later and involved catching up with friends (James and Juliette) from Canada. This is both amazing and ludicrous at the same time. We first met them on a cruise ship in Alaska back in July 2023 (for Claudia’s 50th birthday) and got on famously.
A combination of travel and social media identified that they would be on the ship that we were on in two weeks’ time. This ship would be doing the same itinerary at a time when we would be on a different cruise. A bit more examination and we worked out that we would both be in Roatan on the same day. So plans were made.
So, the two couples (from Canada and Australia) that met (in Alaska) through mutual friends (from Australia) randomly reconnected almost 2 years later in Central America Honduras). All very normal and natural in what has become our lives.
Having been in Roatan a fortnight earlier, and broadly unimpressed with what was on offer we opted for finding a cheap dive bar where we could have a couple of drinks and just catch up. So we met in the main port area and headed out beyond the safety of the gates.
Within 400 meters we had found the sketchiest of bars right on the water, serving beers for 50% of the price of the port.
So in we went, settled in on the deck overlooking the water.
Surrounded by toothless prostitutes in fascinating outfits.
The staff were super friendly and could not do enough to accommodate us. Sadly this ran out when it came to ordering food. So we undertook not to eat but to drink more. This was fine until it came to using the facilities. Juliette was not up to the filthy squatter that the prostitutes were using.
So back to the port, to a beautiful restaurant on the upper floor overlooking the dock (at double the beer price) with a clean and hygienic toilet, and palatable food options. Add to this some bucket-sized cocktails and everyone was happy.
We quite liked the tiny bit of Honduras that we saw but probably wouldn’t put it high on a place to return to. The natural beauty is fantastic, but the tourism practices are not good. The natural beauty will be destroyed in no time as operators prioritise the $dollar above the asset.
If the security stigmas could be overcome then Honduras could be a thriving place. Add some sustainable tourism practices and the place could be heaven on earth. But at present it is being chewed up at a great rate, only saved by low numbers due to security threat concerns.
Travelling the world in a pre and post COVID state
