Cruising the Caribbean, Part III
December 7, 2011 - Curaçao
15:20
Omg tired. Scuba trip today was a mix of fun and annoying.
We gathered today just outside the ship, and then had to await a taxi. We were driven down the coast a short ways, to a small marina. When we arrived, I was told that since I had bought a ticket sans equipment rental, I would have to pay 20 additional money to cover the equipment. Of course, I couldn't prove otherwise, on the spot, since I'd had to give up my ticket when we'd gathered on the pier. I suspect that what happened was that they got my ticket mixed up with someone else's. But I didn't have much choice, so I paid the extra. Some equipment and a briefing later (which involved a stingray-turned-mushroom, a turtle-renamed-teddy-bear, and an upside down barracuda) we were on the move. We had to swim down the short canal the marina was on to the ocean, and then we could descend.
There was a shelf with lots of rocks and a reef starting at about 40' and dropping off to about 120' feet. We stayed at about 45'. Most of the fun things to see were there. There was supposedly a moray eel, but I didn't see him. :-(
At the end if the first dive, we swam back for our second tank, and then back out. For our second dive we stayed at about 35'. On the second dive, we saw a sea turtle. :-D
I have lots of pictures. Over 300. I will have to sort through them when I have access to my laptop and internet, and forward the good ones to my dive group.
We got back to the boat at about 13:30 and I grabbed lunch to satisfy my need for food. Then a shower and a trip down to guest services to see about getting my $20 back. Not that $20 is a huge deal, but it's the principle of the thing.
22:19
Just before dinner, I got a call from the excursions desk. I'm getting a refund for those $20. Dinner itself was an exercise in diplomacy. The appetizer was ok. Curry chicken and lettuce on a pineapple slice. A bit on the bland side, but eh. The soup was not my favourite either. Cream of broccoli. The seafood linguine was a total flop.
The hint that I was unhappy with the meal resulted in a steak very quickly grilled for me. Which was very tasty, but just slightly rarer than I like. Of course, at that point, the very thought that I was still not happy nearly ended in ANOTHER steak. Ooof. And then I was basically coerced into dessert (a pastry cigar filled with Diplomat cream) by the waiter. Who then proceeded to tease me about not liking the meal.
After dinner, we went to see a magic show. Scott Pepper, British magician, and comedian. He was amusing. He's doing a workshop tomorrow on magic tricks, at 12:30. We'll be at sea, so I may go. It could be a nice way to while away some time doing things that don't involve exposing my sunburn to more sun.
(Follow the fake cut to the photos)
For more diving photos, I offer a (link to my photobucket account.) Only the best ones are on picasa.
15:20
Omg tired. Scuba trip today was a mix of fun and annoying.
We gathered today just outside the ship, and then had to await a taxi. We were driven down the coast a short ways, to a small marina. When we arrived, I was told that since I had bought a ticket sans equipment rental, I would have to pay 20 additional money to cover the equipment. Of course, I couldn't prove otherwise, on the spot, since I'd had to give up my ticket when we'd gathered on the pier. I suspect that what happened was that they got my ticket mixed up with someone else's. But I didn't have much choice, so I paid the extra. Some equipment and a briefing later (which involved a stingray-turned-mushroom, a turtle-renamed-teddy-bear, and an upside down barracuda) we were on the move. We had to swim down the short canal the marina was on to the ocean, and then we could descend.
There was a shelf with lots of rocks and a reef starting at about 40' and dropping off to about 120' feet. We stayed at about 45'. Most of the fun things to see were there. There was supposedly a moray eel, but I didn't see him. :-(
At the end if the first dive, we swam back for our second tank, and then back out. For our second dive we stayed at about 35'. On the second dive, we saw a sea turtle. :-D
I have lots of pictures. Over 300. I will have to sort through them when I have access to my laptop and internet, and forward the good ones to my dive group.
We got back to the boat at about 13:30 and I grabbed lunch to satisfy my need for food. Then a shower and a trip down to guest services to see about getting my $20 back. Not that $20 is a huge deal, but it's the principle of the thing.
22:19
Just before dinner, I got a call from the excursions desk. I'm getting a refund for those $20. Dinner itself was an exercise in diplomacy. The appetizer was ok. Curry chicken and lettuce on a pineapple slice. A bit on the bland side, but eh. The soup was not my favourite either. Cream of broccoli. The seafood linguine was a total flop.
The hint that I was unhappy with the meal resulted in a steak very quickly grilled for me. Which was very tasty, but just slightly rarer than I like. Of course, at that point, the very thought that I was still not happy nearly ended in ANOTHER steak. Ooof. And then I was basically coerced into dessert (a pastry cigar filled with Diplomat cream) by the waiter. Who then proceeded to tease me about not liking the meal.
After dinner, we went to see a magic show. Scott Pepper, British magician, and comedian. He was amusing. He's doing a workshop tomorrow on magic tricks, at 12:30. We'll be at sea, so I may go. It could be a nice way to while away some time doing things that don't involve exposing my sunburn to more sun.
(Follow the fake cut to the photos)
For more diving photos, I offer a (link to my photobucket account.) Only the best ones are on picasa.