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| Dana and Jason drive us to the ship terminal |
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| Driving across the Brooklyn Bridge to the ship terminal |
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| Our first glimpse of the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Suitcases ready! |
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| Outside of the ship |
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| Susan, in our beautiful stateroom |
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| The view from our stateroom balcony |
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| Grand atrium of the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Exploring the ship: Life-sized chess! |
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| Aft view of the Norwegian Dawn |
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| View from the top deck |
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| T-Rex Kids Pool in the aft of the ship |
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| Helicopter pad |
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| Another (smaller) cruise ship: The World |
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| Smokestack for the heavy diesel powered engines |
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| Pool deck of the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Another view from the top deck |
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| Another view from the top deck |
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| The ship's fitness center |
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| Susan on the top deck of the Norwegian Dawn as we pull away from the pier |
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| Backing out and turning towards paradise |
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| Here we go! |
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| Shot of NYC skyline |
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| Empire State Building |
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| Downtown NYC skyline at sunset |
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| The Battery at sunset |
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| Statue of Liberty at sunset |
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| Approaching the Verrazano Bridge |
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| West tower of the Verrazano Bridge |
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Fog-horn sounds as we go under the bridge
(** Click for video **) |
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| Susan on the Norwegian Dawn by the Verrazano Bridge |
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| Goodbye, New York! |
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| Sail-away barbeque on the pool deck! |
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| Day 1: Sunrise on Halloween, our first day at sea |
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A beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky!
(** Click for video **) |
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| Susan on the pool deck |
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| Atrium |
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| Atrium, decked out for Halloween |
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| Our stateroom |
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| Our bed and living room, complete with towel-lobster |
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| Our bathroom, with full shower and tub |
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| Our bathroom toilet, with sliding door |
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| Our bathroom sink |
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| A dramatic sunset |
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Halloween party
(** Click for video **) |
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| Day 2: Susan relaxing on our balcony |
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| Beaded geckos we made at one of the craft sessions |
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| Formal night |
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| The Venetian restaurant, one of three main dining halls aboard the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Mark and Susan eating dinner on formal night |
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| Day 3: Approaching Ocho Rios, Jamaica |
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| Lush forests of Ocho Rios |
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| The old boxite mine |
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| Homes in the hills at Ocho Rios |
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| Docking at Ocho Rios |
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| Ocho Rios |
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| Scavenger |
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| Beautiful, clear waters! |
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| Disembarking the ship for our excursion |
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| Shot of the Norwegian Dawn as we leave for our excursion |
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| Air-conditioned coach |
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| National symbols of Jamaica |
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| Enchanted gardens in Ocho Rios, Jamaica |
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| Dreadlocks tree |
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| Ooh! Fall |
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| Mark and Susan at Ooh! Fall |
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| Crazy palm tree |
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| Another waterfall at the Enchanted Gardens |
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| Yellow "Shrimp Plant" |
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| Aah! Fall |
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| Aah fall at the Enchanted Gardens |
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| More waterfalls |
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| Pink "Shrimp Plant" |
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| Fellow guests getting wet at the falls |
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| Flame of the Wood flower |
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| They say the fruit of this tree is *ahem* "a natural uplifter". The leaf makes a nice tea. |
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Our tour guide at the Enchanted Gardens
(** Click for video **) |
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| Ducks at the Enchanted Gardens |
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| Aviary at the Enchanted Gardens |
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| Good thing Mark is wearing a hat, with that bird on his head! |
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| Susan wasn't so lucky... |
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| Mark feeds some birds |
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| Peacocks, ducks and other avian creatures |
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| Beautiful plumage! |
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| Polly want a tip! |
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| Parrot walking on the ceiling |
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| Susan, getting used to the birds? |
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| Never mind. Get me out of here! |
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| Local "wood" working |
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| Mark enjoys some coconut water |
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| Arriving at Dunn's River Falls |
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| Susan dons her water socks for climbing Dunn's River Falls |
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| Susan at Dunn's River Falls |
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| Our group realizes the climb we have ahead of us |
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| Susan at Dunn's River Falls |
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| Mark and Susan at the top of Dunn's River Falls |
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| Mark and Susan at the top of Dunn's River Falls |
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| Donkey |
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| Susan, enjoying a Red Stripe Beer before heading back to the ship |
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| Goodbye, Jamaica! |
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| Day 4: Carnival Conquest drops anchor next to us at Georgetown, Grand Cayman |
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| Tenders prepare to bring us ashore as Georgetown has no piers large enough to accommodate us |
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| Passengers board the tender |
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| Aboard the tender |
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| Crew captain waves to us from the bridge |
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| Norwegian Dawn, from the distance |
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| Pirate ship |
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| Pirate ship |
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| Arriving at Georgetown |
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| Susan, snorkling at Grand Cayman |
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| Susan looks towards the 6,000-foot dropoff |
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Snorkling with the Stingrays
(** Click for video **) |
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| Beach break after our rainy snorkling adventure |
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| Barbeque at the beach |
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| Yar. It be "Pirates Week" in Grand Cayman, matey. |
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| More pirates. |
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| Goodbye, Grand Cayman! |
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| Day 5: Arriving at Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras |
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| Dragging the line |
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| The clear waters and lush vegetation at Honduras |
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| The US isn't the only country having elections soon |
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| Windy road on our Roatan island tour excursion |
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| Roatan's International Airport |
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| Scenic views |
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| View of the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Mark and Susan at Roatan, Honduras |
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| Local children, enjoying the tourists |
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| Our air-conditioned tour bus |
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| Our tour guide, a big fan of NYC |
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| Dos Lempiras (the local currency) |
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| The nicest home on the island |
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| Interesting, spikey plant |
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| At the Iguana farm, this is what it's like on a warm day. Today, they're in the trees because it rained recently. |
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| Can you find the Iguanas? |
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| We found three. |
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| Another Iguana. |
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| Another Iguana. |
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| View from the Iguana farm. |
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| Another Iguana. |
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| Another Iguana. |
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| A baby Iguana. |
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| Cute Spider Monkeys |
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| Spider Monkey |
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| Spider Monkey |
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| Spider Monkey |
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| A live conch in a conch shell |
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| Susan and Mark at the highest point in Roatan, Honduras |
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| Beautiful views |
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| Beautiful views |
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| A shipwreck (left as a tourist attraction) |
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| A stop at Casa Marta Restaurant and Beach Club for authentic Cuban cuisine by the Beach |
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| Casa Marta beach |
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Traditional Garifina dance
(** Click for video **) |
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| Garifina dance |
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| I just want to bang on the turtle all day... |
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| Susan and Mark enjoy some local Port Royal beer |
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| Susan at the Casa Marta beach |
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| Dogs are not kept as pets in Roatan. They roam around the streets looking for food. |
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| A main street in Roatan |
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| Local shops |
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| Returning to the ship |
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| Caribbean deck party and barbeque |
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| Yummy food at the party |
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| Dolphin carved out of a watermelon |
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| Day 6: Passing by one of those islands from The Far Side on our way to Belize City, Belize |
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| Taking our speed-tender to Belize |
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| View of the Norwegian Dawn from the tender. |
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| Port at Belize City |
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| Our air-conditioned tour bus to the ruins at Xunantunich. Unfortunately, the river was flooded so we're on our way to the ruins at Cahal Pech instead. |
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| Look at the size of those insects! They're like bi-planes! |
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| Our tour bus breaks down. We wait for another. |
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| Our new bus arrives. On to Cahal Pech! |
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| Local currency of Belize: Belizian Dollar |
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| Local currency of Belize: Belizian Dollar |
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| The sun is breaking through! |
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| Almost all houses are built on stilts to keep out the snakes and various insects. |
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| Trees planted to harvest wood for boats |
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| Arrival at Cahal Pech. (Literal translation: Place of Ticks) |
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| Map of Cahal Pech archaeological site. |
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| View of Belize from the site |
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| Our tour guide |
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| Ruins |
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| Some parts of the site have been left un-excavated. |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| One of the temples at Cahal Pech |
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| Entering one of the chambers |
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| Chamber at Cahal Pech |
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| Arched passageway |
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| More passageways |
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| Another chamber |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| Storage chamber for religious artifacts |
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| Remnants of red paint. This entire wall used to be red. Red was the color of life and rebirth for the Mayans. |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| Drainage channel, believed to have led to the river. |
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| Another plaza. |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| One of the main plazas |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| Susan at the ruins of Cahal Pech |
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| Ruins at Cahal Pech |
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| Passageway at Cahal Pech |
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| Susan at the tallest temple at Cahal Pech |
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| Susan and Mark at the talltest temple at Cahal Pech |
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| View from atop the tallest temple at Cahal Pech |
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| Overhead view of some chambers at Cahal Pech |
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| Ball court at Cahal Pech. |
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| This is where the dignitaries would sit to watch the game. |
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| Our tour guide explains how the game is thought to have worked. Players would bounce a rubber ball about the size of a basketball into circles on the ground using only their hips. Later versions of the game had vertical hoops. The top athletes were sacrificed as an offering to the gods. Evidence suggests cities would also play each other for domination. |
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| The ball court |
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| Information about Mayans and Cahal Pech. |
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| Artist's rendering of what the temple used to look like. |
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| The only human remains found at Cahal Pech, along with some artifacts. |
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| Artifacts found at Cahal Pech. |
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| Artifacts found at Cahal Pech. |
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| Artifacts found at Cahal Pech. |
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| Artifacts found at Cahal Pech. |
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| Overview model of the Cahal Pech archaeological site. |
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| Lunch at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel |
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|
Live Marimba music, played on a xylophone
(** Click for video **) |
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| Belizian cemetaries are above-ground due to the height of the water table. |
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| Statue to signify the favorable relationship between Belize and China. |
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| Taking the speed-boat tender back to the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Testing and inspecting the life rafts on the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Tall clouds in the distance |
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| Moon at night |
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| Day 7: Arrival at Costa Maya, Mexico |
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| Thatched huts at Costa Maya |
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| Susan at Costa Maya |
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| The port at Costa Maya. The port was really nice. |
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| Our Jungle Beach break excursion to a beach at Costa Maya. NOT RECOMMENDED. |
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| The beach. |
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| The disgusting water at this Costa Maya beach. Smelled like raw sewage. Yuck. We should have just stayed at the port. |
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| Back on the boat. |
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| Susan, relaxing on our private balcony |
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| The clouds at sunset, as we set sail for Nassau |
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| Day 8: A beautiful day at sea! |
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| Mark, aboard the Norwegian Dawn |
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| Susan, aboard the Norwegian Dawn |
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| The basketball court on the Norwegian Dawn |
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She shoots!
(** Click for video **) |
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| Our captain, Idar Hoydal |
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| Chocoholic buffet! |
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| Champagne at the Chocoholic buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate art at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Ice sculpture at the Chocoholic Buffet |
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| Chocolate-covered fruit |
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| Yum! |
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| More yum! |
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| Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Cruise-ship style |
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| Day 9: Arriving at Nassau, Bahamas |
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| P-60 docked at Nassau |
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| Atlantis, in the distance |
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| Majesty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean cruise ship) |
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| Cruise ships docked at Nassau, Bahamas |
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| Walking to Cabbage Beach |
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| Cabbage Beach at Nassau |
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| Cabbage Beach |
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| Warm sand, clear waters, and a beautiful day! |
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| Susan at Atlantis Resort Hotel |
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| Atlantis lagoon |
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| Lighthouse at Nassau |
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| Clear waters at Nassau |
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| Goodbye Nassau! |
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| Goodbye Caribbean! |
|
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| Would. You. Like. To. Play. A. Game? |
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| Susan plays her first move |
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| Susan deep in thought. |
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| Mark wins! |
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| Captain's Dinner, optional formal night. |
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| Mark and Susan are serenaded as we celebrate our 4th anniversary. |
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| Our anniversary cake, compliments of NCL! |
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| Yummy! |
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| Towel monkey |
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| Farewell finale at the Stardust Theater |
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| Liar's club game at the Spinnaker Lounge |
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| Day 10: A smooth day at sea |
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| Our cruise director staff |
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| Ricky Matthews: Our cruise director |
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| More smooth sailing |
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| Fruit carving and chocolate demonstration |
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| Cute fruit carvings! |
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| Happy cruising cake! |
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| Happy cruising, indeed |
|
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| Iron chef competition |
|
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| Our last free ice cream from Sprinkles ice cream bar |
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| Beautiful day, pool-side |
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| Live music from Rhythm Explosion |
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| It's 3:00 and we're not drunk yet. Time for the Martini clinic! |
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| Martini #2. By the time we were done, we forgot to take a picture of #3! |
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| Susan, after her third martini in half an hour. |
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| Our last sunset at sea. |
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| All packed up and ready to go |
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| Our last "Turn down cabin" |
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| Day 11: Arriving in New York City |
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| Passing Coney Island |
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| Approaching the Verrazano Bridge |
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| Brooklyn side of Verrazano Bridge |
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Passing under the Verrazano Bridge
(** Click for video **) |
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| Staten Island ferry terminal |
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| Staten Island Ferry coming and going |
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| Close-up of Staten Island Ferry |
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| Statue of Liberty |
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| Susan heading home to New York City. |
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| Mark heading home to New York City. |
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| New York City Battery |
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| Downtown NYC |
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| Empire State Building, Chrystler Building and the building Susan works in (the big brown building in the foreground) |
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| NYC skyline |
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| Intrepid |
|
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| Docking at Berth 4 of the pier at 55th St. |
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| Tight turn! |
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| Made it! |
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| Look how clear the water isn't. |
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| Home sweet home! |
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