Any More Relaxed They Would Throw Dirt On Me – Day at Sea

Like I mentioned in my earlier post from 4 am today I am up scratching.  I am not the only thing eating on board.  I am pretty sure there are sand flees in the cabin feasting on me.  Of course they don’t like Bernie, but they do like me.

As soon as our cabin steward comes on for the day we check in with him.  He has already been told about the situation and says that they will look right into it.  So we head out to give them time to do their job.

I attend the Speed Sudoku challenge in Crooners at 9:45.  Ana is hosting it, and there are a lot of people in attendance.  I am surprised that I come in first cause really my brain is so foggy today.  I win a lanyard but I give it to a lady who is trying Sudoku for the first time and I have to give her credit for trying it and to try it for the first time in a challenge.  And I don’t need a lanyard but she is happy to get it.

Bernie attends the morning trivia and attend a lecture in Facets all about gems and precious stones.

A few hours later, around noon we come back and the room has been taken care of Grenny says.  There is also a message on the phone from the Pursers’ desk.  I call them back and they say there was no evidence of bed bugs (I told him I never thought there were bed bugs but pretty sure there were sand flees) he confirms that yes that can easily happen and that the room has been treated and all the bedding has been changed.  We thank him and we both immediately crawl into bed to sleep.  We are exhausted from a very restless night and need to rest.  We are both glad it is a sea day.

Of course I have trouble getting to sleep I am still worried about getting bitten.  In fact I have just taken an evening antihistamine that should calm down the scratching/itch and knock me out.  I laugh and say if I could I would wear clothes to cover every inch of my body so I don’t get bitten.  But a few minutes later I must of crashed cause we didn’t wake up until 2:30 pm.  And not a single new bite.  Yeah thanks Princess for taking care of this.

Now before every goes crazy posting all over that the Grand has fleas or other things, take note.  We (or someone near us) probably brought these creatures on ourselves when we came back from port.  All it takes is a little guy (flea) to jump on you or your bag that you put down in the sand or on the ground and it travels back with you.  Kind of like your pet at home.  It isn’t the first time we have been bitten on board; although usually I encounter them in a lounge and probably won’t be our last.  We always travel with anti itch cream and antihistamines and glad we did this time.

Okay back to relaxing….

Of course most of the day is gone but we are both rested and hungry.  Haven’t eaten much since very early this morning so we dress and head up to the Horizon Court just before they turn things over for the afternoon snack.

One thing I have noticed on board is that both sides of Horizon Court are open for lunch.  One side closes down to prep for dinner, and the other stays open until 3:30 when it too closes for lunch but it has that extra station outside of the buffet area where normally there is breads in the am and desserts in the evening.  But at 3:30 they have the afternoon snacks there.  But I notice it doesn’t have as much in offering as we have seen on other ships due to limited space.  I love this time for the selection of cheeses, salad, baked potato with all the fixings, scones with all the fixings and desserts.  It still has some of these offerings but not all.  But I am sure I will do fine without them.

We sit with a lovely couple from Vancouver and chat with them for over an hour.  This is their first cruise, he has been saving up for this trip and surprised his wife with it.  I love hearing these stories.  I know I take it for granted at how lucky I am to travel as much as we do.  He tells us that they have three kids that have taken most of their attention and money but he says they are now grown and that he has been saving for this trip and is glad he could make it a reality.

I am trying to meet someone new every day and get to know their story.  For me one of the great things about travelling is learning about others.

Bernie wants to go to the afternoon trivia and he comes back to the cabin smiling cause they won.  For me I am just relaxing in the cabin, reading, doing puzzles and watching a movie on the tv. 

There is a lot going on today:   Zumba, Ping Pong Tournament, Digital Photography class, Bingo, Elevator Roulette (which they are doing at the Atrium elevators with six elevators), Meet the Cast, Runway at Sea Fashion Show, Slot Tournament, Line Dancing, Shuffleboard Tournament, Ballroom Salsa Class, Grapevine Wine Tasting, Guest Lecture on Longevity, Health and Diet.

Tonight’s menu is Italian Night.  We dress and head down to our regular table in Da Vinci but we notice our waiter is not there, they moved her to Horizon Court.  Which is fine as a new waiter introduces himself, only problem is he has more than his regular amount of tables and we are kind of forgotten. 

We ordered a bottle of wine and it is poured once and then they never refilled the glasses, we ended up having to do it ourselves.  Also dinner takes a lot longer than normal and we can see that the poor guy is busy.  We ended up skipping dessert as we just didn’t have enough time to wait.  Not a big deal and I managed, but sadly there are things that lack when you take away waiters.  I hope this is not going to be on going.

We head to the Vista Lounge to attend the 9:15 presentation of Motor City and loved it.  That is a show you just can’t sit still in; or at least we can’t sit still in.  We have seen the show numerous times but each time we see it, it feels like we spot something new.

Lots of things are going on around the ship tonight.  

Instrumentalist David Klinkenberg is in the Princess Theater, Finish the Lyrics in Explorers Lounge, Comedy with Uber Rossi in the Atrium, The Mariachi band The Desperado Trio are leaving tomorrow so they are preforming in the Atrium, Muts is showing a Bon Jovi concert then Guardians of the Galaxy, Party Band Altitude is in Explorers, Wheelhouse is playing Tempo Quatro Band, Arny G is playing in Crooners and much more.

But we wander around the ship after the show and head up to the top deck to check out the stars and then off to the cabin for a restful night.  We arrive in Puerto Vallarta at 8 am tomorrow.

Friday – Loreto Mexico

We drop anchor early today and as I glance out the window I am in awe of the beautiful bay.

We sit and sip our coffees and enjoy the view and Bernie heads up to Horizon Court to get a bit of breakfast.

Loreto has nearly 155 miles of coastline and 14 islands.  The Sierra La Giganta mountain range, one of the tallest and most spectacular in Baja, overlooks the town of Loreto and creates breathtaking panoramic vistas.

This area is considered the oldest human settlement on the Peninsula of Baja California.

They are announcing that the tenders are quiet, but it is still too early for us to go ashore – time is around 8:30.

The weather is perfect and hot with a high in the 30s.  Being in the sun is kept to a minimum if possible and both Bernie and I got a bit too much sun yesterday in La Paz while snorkeling so after slathering on the sun screen today we head to the gangway to board the tenders, the time is around 10 am.

The tenders on board the Grand are a bit different than the other tenders we have experienced.  First they are more square like, I know sounds odd but they are.  And there is no top outside deck that you can go to.  So we are all inside and each bank of seats can hold four people in it but of course only three are occupying them.  Until the tender operators ask people to move over and allow room for more to sit.  People can be strange – I always say (even on my bus) make room, get to know your fellow passengers and allow more to ride cause one day it may be you waiting to get on board and wishing people would make room.

The ride ashore is short and we walk off the pier and to the right and stroll about.  Note if you want to go directly to town turn left for about four blocks to the main pedestrian road with the beautiful tree arches.  Can’t miss it.

But we go right along the Malecon and then left and we pass locals and say good morning.  We walk back to the main downtown and the pedestrian area and local performers are out in the main square performing for us.  Beautiful, simple beautiful.  Can you hear them?

The Mission stands tall and can be seen from almost everywhere in town.   In 1697 the Jesuit priest/explorer Juan Maria de Salvatierra and a small group of loyal followers founded Loreto with its sweet water oasis and semi arid climate.

We spent a vacation here many many years ago.  Our hotel was just south of the city in Nopolo where there is some lovely hotels and a golf course.

This is not the crazy city like Cabo or Puerto Vallarta but a much more laid back town.  It is the Mexico of the past where the main square dominates and school kids run around.

Activities are limited but still there is a lot to see and do.  I can highly recommend a walk and a nice meal but really the water activities abound.  Great place to see whales, birds and fish.

But for us it is more about strolling around and viewing the town.  We walk along the main street to a small coffee shop for a cold Frappuccino.  Bernie bought some pineapple turnovers at a street vendor and they go perfectly with the coffees.

Back out we walk around for a few more hours and even enjoy a park bench in the shade and watch the people 

strolling by.

We really want to get another Mexican meal and walk to a bit quieter location for something to eat and drink.  The restaurant is called La Palapa  and the food is very good.  I had a margarita, Bernie had two beers, we shared an entrée and a big bowl of tortilla soup for $25.

Back out to the Malecon and we stroll quietly back to the ship.  We then are surprised to hear our names called out.  Al a guy we work with is getting onto the tender too. 

tender/pier area

What is odd is I saw him the first day but just figured he was a familiar face but didn’t know from where.  Today I realize he is another driver out of garage in the city of Burnaby.  His wife Carol and him like to cruise and I recall talking cruising with him in the past.  We agree to meet up for dinner tonight.

We are back in the cabin for some relaxation.  When I wake I realize I am getting bitten by something.  It started last night, when I woke this morning I had four small bites on my right wrist all in a row.  Now anything that bites loves me and ignore Bernie so I apply some anti itch cream and went off.  But after relaxing this afternoon I can narrow it down to something is biting me in the cabin.

We all meet up in Crooners for a drink before dinner and then off to Da Vinci for dinner where Francesco directs us to our table.

I start the meal with Gazpacho soup then a nice salad and for my entrée Beef Stroganauf.  All were great but the topper was the Norman Love White Chocolate cheese cake.  Very very good.

Mike Wilson the impressionist is playing again tonight with three shows in the Vista Lounge and we had good intentions of going but we decide to stroll around on the decks instead.

Footnote:  As soon as I lay down and I am reading I feel itchy again and notice something has now bitten my toe, three small bites on one of my toes.  At 4 am I wake to more bites but this time on my right hip.  I lay on my right so I am not surprised I am getting bitten mainly on my right.  I have about ten bites in a two inch diameter on my right hip.  Looks bad… I dress and head down to the Purser’s desk to report.

This is always a difficult thing, I don’t like to complain but obviously something is biting me.  Lucas deals with me and then a supervisor comes out.  It is apparent by the marks on my body that I am getting bitten.  They ask if I have been ashore, “of course”.  The supervisor (sorry didn’t get his name) says that this has happened to him too but they then can’t find anything when they look.  They tell me to go back to the cabin and they will send the nurse.  Really the nurse I say – but they insists – and of course when I get back to the cabin they call and say since this is not an emergency that I should go during officer hours.  But I am not going to go and pay just so they can say they are bites.  Plus I have anti itch cream and antihistamines to help with the itch in Bernie’s walking pharmacy.

A few minutes later the night supervisor with housekeeping knocks on the door and says that they will do an inspection and treatment later when we get up for breakfast.  They offered to do it right now but we can wait cause most staff are not up and about yet.

Of course I can’t get into bed knowing that I will be bitten.  I inspect the bed but I don’t see anything.  I have a feeling it is sand flees which probably came on when we were ashore one day.  Will report more after they have treated it.