We got back from our vacation on Friday and I am just writing about it now. Truth is, this is my nth attempt to write about the trip. But even when I already have hundreds of words typed up, I always go back and delete what I wrote.
maybe it’s because I still have not recovered from the vacation, or the fact that I have gained 5 pounds in 1 week or maybe the proof that vacations are not 100% relaxing...
The one day I was looking forward to just lounging by the Caribbean’s clear blue water was cancelled due to big waves. From the cruise ship, we had to go on small boats called tenders to get to Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay. The waters were so rough that we risk hitting the rocks as we approach the beach. thus, we had to spend an extra day at sea.
To jolt me out of my sour mood, we went rock wall climbing on board the ship. Rock wall climbing is something I’ve always wanted to do but never got to it until this vacation. Since I am afraid of heights, I don’t really climb anything. I remember when I was a kid, we rented a house just across the street from where our house in Cavite now stands. Behind that old house was an aratiles tree that had never seemed to run out of fruits (or berries? they kinda looked like berries). Since I could not climb, I would ask my mom to climb it for me and collect the fruits that I could not reach. Now that I am an adult, even step stools and bunk beds make me nervous.
So when it was my turn to climb the wall, (of course I picked the easiest climb), my heart was beating a mile a minute. There I stood, hands cold and clammy, daring to take this huge step towards conquering my fear. The first couple of grips were easy. In my head I though, ‘ha! I could get used to this thing!’ half way through I glanced up and realized I still had a long way to go and started to get nervous again. ¾ of the way up, I pulled my left shoulder muscle and decided to give up. ‘No! reach out with your left hand! You can do it!’ shouted the man tied to the other end of the rope that secured me. “I can’t!’ I yelled back. ‘You can do it!’ I heard the crowd below me cheer me on. i felt a rush of adrenaline through my body and so i pulled my self up with my left hand, followed by the left foot. Lo and behold, the bell was within my reach. I grabbed it and started swinging. Yey! I conquered my first wall!!! The applause was thundering in my ears! Yahoo! I was so proud of myself. The elation was enough to get me through the rest of the day. But from the ships deck I still stood, pining for that white sand beach...at least i have an excuse to go on another beach vacation!
it was also during this trip that I felt my first serious case of sea sickness. it was windy and rough on our way to snorkel the United States' only living coral reef which is located in Key West, Florida. Getting to the reef, which was about 7 miles from Key West was too rough a ride for me. I can handle swaying from side to side, but the bobbing up and down was too much for me to take. It took every effort to calm my stomach and keep myself from throwing up. While paul, caloy, and anna where chatting and laughing as we approached the reef, I sat in one corner, hiding from the sun, praying I wont make a mess and ruin the trip for all 100 other snorklers on the catamaran.
When I had the chance to brave the rough seas with my snorkel gear, I told myself, ‘This reef better be worth it!’ it was not!!! Or maybe we were swimming on the wrong part of Key West. All I saw were to large rocks, a school of 1 kind of fish and 2 of another kind of fish. I only spent about 30 minutes in the water. It was too rough. There were too many people around me not just from our catamaran but the two others anchored nearby. It was a mess of heads bobbing in open water. Back on the boat on the way back to the cruise ship, all I could do to keep from throwing up was to lie down. When I got up to leave the boat, I felt my stomach turning again and immediately munched on ice chips to keep my stomach down. I was feeling nauseous until just before dinner, our last on the cruise ship.
Despite my earlier complaints, it was still a good trip. Any place where I do not need to wear a sweater is a little piece of heaven for me—a good break from the cold, San Francisco weather. on my next post, i will write about the highlights instead of the lowlights of the trip. every dark cloud has a silver lining.
No comments:
Post a Comment