Today was just awesome! A really great start to our Bahamian experience. I did learn a valuable lesson about rum, but more on that later....

We got up early enough to hit the breakfast buffet (our favorite part of ANY vacation!) and headed off the ship to meet up with our ride to our excursion. First of all, you have to walk outisde on the top deck to get to the buffet, and at 8am, it was already HOT as balls. We left the curtains open last night, so was cool to wake up to the bright sun, and look out the window to see Freeport!

We got off the ship in plenty of time, and saw Sue and Gerry already in line for our excursion. It was called "My Bahamian House." Usually we would shy away from doing a tour the cruise ship offered, but part of our package was $50 credit for shore excursions, and since this was an added port instead of going to Cuba, we figured we might as well take advantage of it. And we are so glad we did. This included lunch with a private chef and of course, drinks included as well. Also, time at the beach, which what we really wanted to experience.

On the ride there we learned interesting things about the of the Grand Bahamas, the Island Freeport is located on. They are very small, about 94 miles long. Population is just over 50,000 people. They only have 7 stoplights, but are heavy with the roundabouts at 18. (Sounds like Olympia, right Mom and Dad?) There were a lot of Pine Trees along the way, and the were bare at the bottom but were green at the top. The driver said that when big hurricanes come through, they wipe all the trees bare, and when they regrow, they regrow from the top. So these ones were just starting to grow again.

It was a short 20 minute or so shuttle ride to a house. Which I found out nobody actually lives there, but is set up like a Bahamian house would be. It was in a real neighborhood. There were maybe 15 of us or so on this little excursion, which is cool because cruise ships ones tend to be overcrowded. But this was nice and intimate. They gave us fritters right away as a snack when we got there. They were made from the meat of a Conch (pronounced KONK) shell for meat eaters, and veggie ones for me. They also said we could join the chef in the kitchen if we wanted to learn how to cook later after we went to the beach. They also told us to be sure to ask the bar tender for the special, and here is where my lesson begins...

I am feeling good, in full vacation mode, ready to party, so I walk straight through the house, to the bar and ask him for the special. He kind of looks me up and down and says "You sure you want the special?" Without hesitation I said, "Well, yea, that's what they told me to ask for...what is it?" He then explained: "It's all the rum." So I said, "Sure, ok sounds great!" So he procedes to get a large pitcher, and pour a very generous amount of about 10 or 12 different flavors and types of rum. Tops it of with minimal soda and juice and pours me a glass. I am already prepared to hate it, I mean how could that much rum taste good? Well, it was freaking delicous! So I am trying to get the party even more started, and start passing around specials to Sue, Gerry, Jaime and a few other people on the tour. They all agreed it was pretty good.

There was a lot of options for activities. There was water behind the house (a manmade lake i think?) where it was so clear, you could see the fish. We had the option to kayak here, or go to the beach. Which is what we did. But I confirmed that they would bring more "specials" to the beach so we could continue to enjoy the drinks there. They assured me they would bring some.

So we walk just across the street (I am about 2 drinks in at this point) to the beach, and just WOW. Breathtaking view of crystal clear water, and not a soul in site. (other than us in our group) In both directions, just nobody. We got to enjoy plenty of time chilling in the water and getting awesome photos. The sand was a little rocky heading in the water at first, but then just soft, white, beautiful sand. Sue, Gerry, Jaime and I just relaxed, and we brought a little water ball to toss around, and just tossed the ball, and took it all in. Sue and Gerry are never dull to talk to, they travel a lot as well, and have awesome stories.

So I come out of the water, and here comes my drink guy, with another pitcher full of specials and pours me another. Now remember it is hot as hot can be. Any cold beverage would be welcome at this point. Could I have drank some water, sure. But I am on vacation. And remember, I learn my lesson later, so just hang tight.

I had to head back to the house at 11:15am to help the chef as she said that was when she would prepare my veggie dish. But since I was so busy drinking and enjoying the gorgeous secluded beach, I was a bit late and she said she was sorry, but my tofu was done, did I mind cooking fish? I hesitated at first, but the fish didn't look like anything, just bits and pieces of it, it was already cut up, so I said sure, no problem, I really wanted to participate in making lunch. So I soaked, battered, and deep fried the snapper for everybody! People had the choice of chicken, veggie, or snapper, so anybody who had the snapper had food cooked by me! Now I really didn't do that much, just plopped the pieces into a deep fryer, but she taught me what they should look like when they are done, and when to take them out, and we talked and talked, her name was Thomasia (got a photo with her!) and she was awesome. I think she was amused at how under the influence I was. But don't worry I was professional in the kitchen and followed all sanitary rules.

So Jaime, Sue and Gerry knew I had gone to the kitchen to help cook, and at this point everybody in the tour had come back to the back porch area as they were told lunch was being served shortly. You should have seen the look on everybody's face when I came out with the lunch plates in hand, and apron on and served everybody their food. I was even more loud and animated than usual (if that is even possible?). But Jaime, Sue and Gerry got a kick out of that.

So after lunch, we head back to the shuttle. Lunch was SO GOOD! Jaime had the snapper, and Sue and Gerry had the chicken. I had my tofu dish, and as if our activities, drinks and experience wasn't awesome enough already, that lunch just solidified that we had the best tour that morning.

Once we arrived back by our ship, we shopped around for souvenirs. And yes, Jaime got his hair braided! Just three braids on each side of his head. I got a Bahamian colored hair wrap that is under my hair and lays over my shoulder. Looks pretty cool. We saw Jesse and Hayley as their tour arrived back just around the time ours did. They both made a comment like Wow, Becky must have been drinking. But as I said, my lesson is coming so hang tight.

We get back on the ship, shower, because you get so hot and sweaty and sticky just standing outside, let alone doing any kind of walking or activity. And we head to meet the rest of our group for our early 5:30pm dinner. I am feeling alright at this point, just a little queezy, but I figured it was because the ship had started to move and I was feeling seasick. So I took a dramamine before dinner.

You have been patiently waiting for me to learn my lesson, however if you do not wish to hear the graphic nature (involving vomit) of my lesson, you may want to skip ahead a few paragraphs.

It had been a while since lunch, so when I saw they had vegetarian samosas on the menu as an appetizer, I got not one, but two of them, and scarf them down as quick as you can imagine. I then ordered some grilled eggplant dish thing, but by the time that comes out, I am starting to feel really sick. Hayley was sitting next to me, and being as close a friend as she is, knows I usually scarf down food right away, she saw me just poking at my eggplant, as was like Becky, are you ok? I said yea, I was just feeling a little seasick. But not 30 seconds later do I turn to Jaime and say "I gotta go" and I ran as fast as one can run through a crowded dining room, zig zagging through chairs, and try and make it to our cabin, as I knew I was going to be sick.

So here comes my lesson. First of all, our room is on floor 6. We were eating on deck 5. Doesn't sound that complicated to get to our room, right? Well, sadly, in order to get to our room on deck 6, we have to go up to deck 7, to get to a set of side stairs only accessible via deck 7 to get down to deck 6 to our room. So here I am on deck 5, waiting at the elevators, because I was certain I couldn't make it to the stairs, but the elevator is taking too long. So I go, walking crooked and about to blow chunks everywhere trying to find the stairs. I get there, take them two at a time, and finally make it to the long awaited side stairs where I am almost at our room. Now if you are thinking to yourself, BECKY YOU IDIOT YOU ARE NOT SEASICK, YOU DRANK ALL THE RUM AND ARE NOW PAYING THE PRICE, well you are very correct. I get halfway down the last set of stairs, lost my footing, and almost fall down, but luckily, I am able to level myself. If I fell, I would have just lied at the bottom of the stairs and puked on myself.

BUT, I didn't. I shove my key card in our door, throw open the bathroom door, and make it to the toilet just in time to vomit all over the back of the lid. Yes, I got all the way to our room and bathroom but could not angle my head in time to make it IN the actual toilet. That was fun to clean to up. Which, I did by the way, I did not make our cabin steward or Jaime do it. I may have been drunk but I have manners. So thankfully, after I get it all out of my system, which was probably only a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours I was crouched over the toilet puking. (I told you, graphic, right?!) Jaime comes in to find me in the fetal position on our bed. But again, luckily, I took some ibuprofen, a short nap, and felt ready to take on the rest of the evening.

At 9pm the entertainment crew put on a show called Rock You Tonight, and it was AMAZING! These people should be on broadway. They sang, danced, and did all rock music, we were blown away. All 8 of us watched and enjoyed that. I am so glad I felt well enough to go. After that, there is a nightclub called Bliss on the ship, so we danced and drank. Let me rephrase that....I danced, they drank, and then Jaime and I left so we could, yep you guessed it, go get our second dinner. They have a buffet all night up on deck 11. We went there last night, and were able to go tonight before bed, and if you are wondering if we are planning to have two dinners every night on this trip, you better believe we are.

So I had quite the roller coaster of a day. I went from alert and ready for the day to drunk, tired, sick, hungover, and back to normal again all before bedtime. Did I learn my lesson? You bet I did. It is not wise for a girl who does not drink all that much to go to the Bahamas, and drink all the rum.

Tomorrow Jaime and I booked a city tour, but it does not start until 10:30am. So we only need to be up early enough to catch our favorite part of the day other than second dinner - breakfast buffet!

Next stop - Nassau!