Cruise 2014 - Aboard Ship, "I Did It My Way"

As a finale to the show, this guy - one of the head waiters that we saw every evening at dinnertime - belted out the song "I Did It My Way".  He was actually quite good and got a standing ovation.  We did another cruise later on the same ship, and he did it again then with just as much energy and gusto.

Cruise 2014 - Aboard Ship, Food Show

Back aboard the ship.  The girls were interested in attending a show on how they cooked some of the stuff we'd been eating all week, and this was one of a very few pics that turned out technically acceptable.

The guy in the back was clearly not as concerned about the dangers to his co-workers as he was about himself...

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Colorful Shoreline Restaurant

On our way back to the ship we passed this colorful scene on the shoreline, which might make a good puzzle someday.

The photo below was captured a few feet further down the walk, looking back:

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Painted Trees

Now it's time to trek back to the bus from the ruins.  We got a break from the rain but it was still puddley and muddy almost everywhere.

These trees, painted to prevent insect infestation, provided enough of a pattern to merit a quick snapshot...

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Hand Prints

Our guide said that these are real markings from the original inhabitants, and the research I did later proved it to be true.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Waterfront

Tulum sits right on the coast, overlooking a bluff of about 40 feet.  This was a place where tourists could descent stairs and enjoy a swim, albeit a brief one due to time constraints.  Though we stayed up on the cliff, the water was beautiful and the cloudiness made for good picture taking.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum House

It was something to walk the same streets as did the Maya of ancient days, and in this case trod the same steps up to a house that was last inhabited 500-700 years ago.  Of course this would be no big deal to someone from Europe, and an even lesser adventure for someone from Asia, but to someone from such a young country as the US of A it's something to see.

This house has a big hole in the middle of the floor.  According to our guide these holes were graves, in which the matriarch and/or patriarch of a generation would be buried.  Yes, they were buried right in the house under the floor, and in fact a skeleton was found in this one during the excavation.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Iguana #2

I didn't notice this guy until I was right on him, and even then only because of the small crowd that it generated.  These iguanas were running around like - and just as common as - the squirrels around our house in Houston.

Wider shot from the same position below, with iguana still in place:

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Iguana #1

Do you see anything that stands out in this picture?

How about the one below?

This guy was so well camouflaged that I didn't even notice him until zooming in for the second shot above.  Must be between 4-5 feet in length...biggest one I'd ever seen.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Panorama

...and this is what greeted us as we entered (click to enlarge).  The place was huge, and the history could be felt as we stepped into its expanse.  I could spend a long time here - like a week - just observing, studying, listening to lectures and taking pictures.  I am one who believes that places retain memories, and don't think anyone with a sensitive spirit could help but feel the energy that once thrived in this great city.

It's easy to see the various groups, each led by a tour guide and bunched by the many cruise ships that make this one of their stops.  Our guide was pretty good but, as usual, I often wandered away from the beaten path to snap photos.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Tulum Ruins Entrance

The greater attraction on this cruise were the excursions.  In Cozumel we signed up to see the Tulum ruins.  I'd never heard of the place, but was eager to see the remains of an entire city abandoned so many centuries ago.

We ducked and went through one of the centuries-old entrances.  It seemed cramped, built to fit the stature of the people that inhabited the place.

And why does the girl look so sad and miserable?  Because she was about to step into a downpour.  In spite of the fact that it rained virtually the whole time we were there, the Big Cahoona behaved beautifully and I was not worried about a little water here and there.

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Disembarking

Once disembarked it is possible to look back at the ship in all its glory.  These massive cities-of-the-sea are a sight to behold.

The shot above is a single frame; below is a 5-shot panorama that reveals almost the full length of the dock:

Cruise 2014 - Cozumel, Approaching Dock

Now for Cozumel.  As can be seen from the reflection off of the pavement of the buildings to the right it was a little rainy, but all the better for taking pictures.  This is a 4-shot panorama captured as the giant ship approached.

It always has amazed me how they guide these guys in to dock.  On one approach I was observing from the deck, looking over the side, and the tires that serve as bumpers for the dock barely moved as the vessel settled in.  Amazing.

Two of these giants can often be seen side-by-side at many of the destinations:

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Pelican-Topped Beacon / Ecclesiastes on the Kill Floor

Lots of pelicans waiting around to dive at whatever churns up in the wake of vessels passing by.
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(continued from post of 09/30/17)
Being an offal boxer at IBP was an interesting business, but, as stated back on the 30th, there wasn't as much running around the place, and the novelty had worn off a bit.  Loved the hard work, though, and took pride in the fact that for a second summer I was able to stick around while so many others came and went.

One facet of working there was the presence of so many "foreigners" on the floor.  Amarillo, at the time, had a substantial Laotian population, and I remember seeing an ethnic grocery store for the first time on Amarillo Blvd heading east to work.  More interesting than that, however, were the Indians (of the Native American variety).  Very few of them lasted long because of their tendency to show up drunk for work.  So the Laotians and Indians, plus the workers from Mexico and Central America, was interesting for someone not used to the mix.  In fact, as the story was told in a post long ago, one of the Mexicans there literally changed my life for the better from that point forward.  God bless Ramón García.

But it happened to be a white guy on the floor that provided my most memorable moment of the summer of 1979.  I was busy boxing up body parts one day and noticed a guy on the gut table that was having a hard time.  He was a fat puller, which at level five was extremely hard work, and barely kept up with the line.  On top of that, his whole demeanor - his facial expressions, the body language, etc. - communicated that he absolutely hated his job and hated being there.  He was a picture of misery during most of our eight-hour shift.

So I took to watching this guy the next day.  Maybe the day before was just a bad day, or perhaps he got fussed at by one of the foremen.  He was new, so could it have simply been too much for him?  Could be that he just wasn't where he wanted to be in life.  Whatever it was, he continued with the general display of bad humor - and bad attitude - as he struggled with the huge sheets of fat.  He was no happier, and didn't appear to be friends with anyone.  I sensed that he was a decent chap, though, so on a lark decided to do something to make him feel better.  After all, what could it hurt?  And who better than Mr. IBP to do something about it?

I'd just been doing some reading from one of my favorite books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes.  After finding a magic marker I located a scrap of paper from somewhere and wrote in large block letters, "Ecclesiastes 2:24".  During a moment when he wasn't struggling so much I handed him the piece of paper, shouting across the moving gut line, "Read this tonight!"  He nodded and stuck the scrap into his front shirt pocket, and I thought, That's either the end of it or it isn't.

Well, it wasn't.  The change in that young man the next day was remarkable.  He smiled just about the whole shift, was friskier in his movements, and I dare say might have become a better fat puller as the result of his change in attitude.  At first I dared not imagine that my scrap of paper made the difference, but he made it clear as he leaned over and shouted in my ear, "I read that verse last night!"

And what did it say?  The verse reads, "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.  This too, I see, is from the hand of God." (NIV)

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Three Fishermen

Caught this serene view on our way back to the ship.  Fishing must be one of the hardest, yet healthiest, ways to earn a living...

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Seaside City

As the tender drew away from the dock on its way back to the ship, the seaside expanse of Belize City came into a larger view.  Both shots in this post look nice, romantic, idyllic, etc. (with the exception of the obvious run-down condition of the big yellow building), but the truth is that Belize is something of a dump.  After visiting there a couple of times I couldn't figure out why Americans are willing to part with good money to live here in retirement.  Guess we didn't see the nicer areas of town or the country.

On the river boat, however, we did actually stopped once to see the edge of a Quaker settlement from Europe, which was much nicer looking and well-kept.  According to our guide, it was the only part of the population that could not only sustain itself, but introduce a bit of prosperity to the region.  It was way out in the boonies, though, and far away from the dirt and squalor of the city.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Horse-Drawn Tourist Wagon

Seeing a horse-drawn vehicle parallel parked just like everyone else is not such an uncommon sight in a country like Belize - or, in my experience, Northern Mexico...with the exception that in Northern Mexico rigs like these had nothing to do with a tourist trade.  Tooling along in a bus through the downtown streets of Belize City made it more difficult to capture shots like this, but I managed a few...

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Dockside Hibiscus

Will post this last flower pic before moving on to the bus ride back to the tender docks.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Bi-colored Leaves

Did not even need to saturate this one, with its rich and bright colors...

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Purple Flower with Desaturated Background

After my success with this post from the Bahamas, decided to try the same again, per below:

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Red Blossom

After eating lunch I wandered off by myself and captured some of the rich foliage in the area as we waited for the buses.  This same species, or a variant thereof, can be seen in different settings here and here, on other trips taken over the years.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Dockside Seating Arrangement

Not really sure this is a great pic, but I was attracted to the curves and angles made by this seating arrangement.  Twenty minutes later most all of the chairs were occupied as we sat down to lunch.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Dockside Reflection

While waiting for lunch I was by myself sitting near the water's edge, and noticed that it was still enough to make a decent reflection.  This was the best out of the three or four taken.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Snake Cactus

I love snakes, and would not have been as creeped out by a real one as this, a cactus that resembles a green viper or boa with its twists and coils.  The photo was snapped as the speed boat stopped along the way to the ruins of Lamanai.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Parasitic Trees

Seems these parasitic plants are everywhere down there. The pic to the right (a vertical 2-shot panorama) shows how completely they take over a tree, which eventually dies, basically of suffocation.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Green Moss on Tree

Being in a jungle environment, the plant life was as striking visually as it was rich in diversity.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Hanging Moss

While on land we saw flora of all types and sizes.  The pic above was a familiar sight to me, as I grew up in Orange, Texas, where hanging moss was everywhere.  Macro view below in a zoomed-in shot captured from atop the pyramid:

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Lamanai Pyramid

Though the boat ride by itself would have been worth the price of the excursion, our destination was the Lamanai ruins.  These ancient, abandoned civilizations are really incredible, and to think that a thousand more cities are waiting to be discovered and explored!  This was the top of the largest pyramid in Lamanai...would love to have seen this view when the place was populated, before the vegetation took over.

The way up is captured below:

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Tandem River Runners

Most of the way down the river we were riding in tandem with the other half of our group.  In spite of the speed and movement of both boats, managed to get in the two-shot panorama below.  It was raining for most of the journey, but the Big Cahoona didn't miss a beat!

Cruise 2014 - Belize, River Cruise

A boat ride on those huge ships is, by itself, worth the money one pays for a cruise...just as, in my opinion, an airplane ride in one of those huge Boeing airliners is, by itself, worth the money one pays for the flight, never mind the destination.

But just as important a draw for us are the excursions that are available to cruise ship passengers.  These usually offer a wide variety of adventure and fun in faraway places and exotic lands.

Take this river boat ride.  We signed up to explore the Lamanai ruins of ancient Maya days, and knew we'd get there by river.  What we didn't know was that it was a LONG ways from where we boarded the river boats, and that to get there in time we had to go FAST.  The sheer speed under the expert pilotship of our guides was exhilarating.  And even at speeds of 45+ mph, with a few stops along the way to observe the wildlife, it took nearly a half hour to get there.  This boat ride alone made it worth the money we paid for the excursion.

Cruise 2014 - Belize, Dockside Birds

I'm going to post this journey based on destination, without worrying too much about chronological order.

The second of our stops was Belize, and this was the scene that greeted us as we disembarked from the tender.  While the crowd filed past behind me I was stooping and grunting into a position that would afford the most bodies with the greatest depth of field.  Immediately this scene reminded me of one I'd captured in Athens a few years before, though in that photo there weren't nearly as many birds.