2009 Bahamas Trip Final Stop

Our final stop on this year's trip was to split a Fat Knight from one of the grease trucks on College Avenue at Rutgers.

TJ moves into his dormitory at Rutgers this Saturday.

As we took a quick drive through campus, it brought back lots of memories and I am excited for TJ as he starts his college journey.  I am also a bit sad that I will not see him as much, but life moves on.

TJ asked me if in retrospect, the college years were the best times that I had.  I told him that I wouldn't say that, but I would say that they were the most unappreciated.  To have minimal responsibilities and be free to study interesting things full time, is something most 18 year olds cannot truly appreciate.

I hope that our annual trips continue.  We are talking about something in Asia or perhaps a golf trip to St. Andrews in Scotland for next year.  The British Open is there next August.

We will keep you posted.

TJ - good luck in school -- Dad

Feeding the Iguanas

On the ride back to Nassau from our Exuma excursion, we stopped at a small secluded island inhabited with 500 large iguanas.

The guides regularly stop there and the iguanas apparently look forward to being feed grapes.  When the captain blew the horn on the boat, about 50 of the iguanas dashed out of the brush and up to the boat.

TJ Swimming at beach in Exuma

Here is TJ swimming in the beach area on the other side of the island.  The guide said that the sharks usually stay away from this part of the island.

Although, we he took us snorkeling he said, "There Jack".  Who is Jack? The resident 5-foot barracuda.  TJ swam pretty close to Jack, but I don't have any pictures.  I was on the boat enjoying some local beverages.

Day Trip to Exuma Keys

TJ and I took a day trip out to a private island in the Exuma Keys.  It was about a one hour high speed boat ride and we ended up on a secluded island in the middle of the ocean.

The water is crystal clear and full of sharks right in this area.  We saw 5-6 lemon and nurse sharks right where I was standing.

There is no electricity on the island only a dock and some huts with picnic tables and food area.  The guy who owns the island has a house up on the hill and comes down once a year.  His grandfather bought it for 360 British Pounds back in the 1930's.

Miss Russia

Oh to 18 again!

Here is TJ with Miss Russia.  We are coming out of the Ocean Club and headed back to Atlantis.

Underwater Diving

This afternoon we went under water diving just off the island.

Generally, you need to get certified or go through a resort test in a dive pool to make sure you can breathe underwater with a regulator and mask.

I did the Scuba course in Cancun with Vicki and was able to handle the ocean dive without incident - even with my breathing problems.

Today we did something called SNUBA.  Essentially the tank you wear on your back sits in a raft on the surface.  You wear a weight belt and have a harness with the regulator and hose to the surface.  It is essentially all of the dangers of SCUBA and none of the convenience (or training).

My weight belt was too heavy and I struggled to keep from sinking which made me lose my breath and struggle badly in the water.  Eventually I lost the weight belt and stayed on the surface. 

TJ did OK until the pressure of the water cause a serious nose bleed.  When he surfaced his face was covered in blood.  My first reaction was to make sure he was OK followed by an immediate second reaction - SHARKS.

There was enough blood in the water for concern on my part - I watch Discovery Channel.  The Bahamiam guide said, "Chill Mon, we don't need to worry bout no shark.". To say that the guide's reassurances meant anything to me would be an overstatement.  As far as I was concerned, the guide had 5-7 bong hits of the finest marijuana available in the Caribbean before we sailed.

Anyway, we made it back to the boat safely.  The picture is of TJ climbing back on the boat after jumping into the water from the second deck.  I will post the jump on Youtube soon.

Should I Give Her My Extra Room Key?

TJ's cool golf tan caught the eye of the ladies.

I don't think she is in the Miss Universe Pageant.  The finals on the pageant are tomorrow night.  We saw all of the contestants parade through the casino last night.  I think Miss Poland was the hottest - but I like the zoftick look.

Just Like James Bond

Shaken not stirred.

TJ is having his first martini at the Ocean Club which was the site of the opening scenes of the James Bond movie Casino Royale.

In the distance of the picture with me enjoying some Stoli on the rocks, is the dive site that we dove today.

We were going to have seafood tonight, but ......

This morning we took a swim with Flipper and made a new friend.  We are going to cancel our reservations at the seafood restaurant and stick with land-lover food.

Here is TJ getting a foot push from Flipper.  Flipper had a harder time with me.

Casino Fun

TJ's first casino experience was fun and a bit unrealistic.  He play three sessions and won $170 never really losing.

The next morning we played again and the casino pulled out a vacuum cleaner and sucked the money right out of our pockets saving us the time of actually playing the games.

I told TJ it was because we were not wearing our lucky linen pants from the night before.  We test that theory later.

Expensive Johnny Rockets

We grabbed a late dinner/snack last night at the Johnny Rockets in the Marina.

TJ got a cheeseburger and a Coke.  I got french fries and a beer.  $50.

Check-In at the Bahamas

We arrived in the Bahamas without any issues.  Our room is just as advertised with a great view of the property.

Also, everything is quite expensive.  A tuna sandwich, personal pizza, can of beer, and a cocktail was $60.

TJ is crashed and resting up for some casino action later tonight.

French Dessert

I finally was able to convince Sarah to go to the French restaurant here are the France pavilion at EPCOT.  She had the filet mignon, which is quite a bit better than Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets.

Anyway, she gave everything two thumbs up.  Now we are getting dessert at the Boulangerie.  Sarah got the Chocolate mousse.  I went across the way to get a Pouilly-Fuisse wine at La Maison du Vin wine shop.

A good last night on our trip.

What a Difference 11 Years Makes

Here is Sarah outside the bug show at Animal Kingdom. Eleven years
ago we were here when the park opened and she was about 4 years old.

When she was 4 she was terrified and cried and screamed for about 10
minutes even after I took her out of the show early.

At about 15, she just found it amusing and I actually found it to be
an annoying sensory overload. However, I didn't cry about it.

Morning Safari

This morning we went out a safari.  Saw lots of stuff.

I must not have been paying attention to all their talking about endangered wildlife and conserving these creatures.  Because when I asked if any of the animals are served at the restaurants, I got a very negative reaction and was sent to the Warden's office to hear all of the conservation messages again.

Then I slipped him a $20 and he gave me some silverback gorilla jerky - very tasty.

Expanding Horizons

After our Segway tour I was able to convince Sarah to go to the Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco pavilion.  I wanted her to try something new and different.

Anyway, I ordered the Beef Brewat Rolls and Chicken Bastillas, the specialty of the restaurant.  Sarah got the chicken fingers. 

What is the saying about leading them to water.....

An Alternative to Walking

Tired of walking, jump on a Segway personal transporter.

Sarah and I took the Around the World Segway tour this morning visiting all of the countries at EPCOT before the park opened.  The Segways take some time to get used to, but are very cool - they go about 8 mph and turn on a dime.

You have to be 16 years old and under 250 pounds.  Even though we were not in Fantasyland, I didn't think it too much to pretend that Sarah was 16 and I was 249.  If challenged, I was going to tell them that my shoes weighed 16 pounds. 

Agronomy Tour at EPCOT

It is not all rides and fun here.  Sarah and I took a backscenes tour of The Land pavilion where they showed us the latest in high-tech agronomy and biotech methods.

The Most Interesting Man In The World

He can cure narcolepsy, just by walking in the room.

He is often questioned by the police, just because they find him interesting.

His reputation is expanding faster than the universe.

His beard has experienced more than most ordinary men have experienced in a lifetime.

He is....the most interesting man in the world.

"I hardly ever drink beer.  But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.  Stay thirsty my friends."

Fireworks at the Castle

We made it over last night just in time for the fireworks.  Sarah has no recollection of the time when she was 3 or 4 years old and we were waiting for the fireworks in the same spot. 

Back then, she kept asking me if we could go to Cinderella's house and see her.  I told her that she wasn't home but she kept at it.  The crowds were just as large as they were last night.  Anyway, she and I walked over to that castle and I told her to ask the hostess if Cinderella was home.  I expected her to be rebuffed, just like I tried to rebuff her earlier.

To my amazement, the hostess was quite gracious to Sarah.  She was less than 3 feet tall back then and the hostess had to bend down to talk to her.  The hostess grabbed her hand and we walked through an unmarked door an entered a vestibule in the castle not open to the public.  Sitting on her princess throne was Cinderella talking to the Fairy Godmother.  They greeted Sarah and talked to her for a few minutes.

I did not have my camera, and taking pictures would have probably taken away from the moment anyway.  To a 35 year old jaded cynic, it was as close to real as you can get in Fantasyland.  To a 4 year girl, it must have validated what she believed in anyway.

When we left, I was a still amazed at how it unfolded.  To top it off, Sarah looked up and said, "I told you so.", and grinned from ear to ear.

It is sad that she doesn't remember the story.  I will not forget it.

Sarah's First Wish

Here is Sarah with a big smile on her face after riding Tower of Terror.  It turned out to be only a 30 minute wait.

We just walked by the Pixar Toy Story ride and the posted wait is 170 minutes.  We will come back tomorrow.

We are off to see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

Standing Room Only

I have been to Disney World many times.  However, 90% of the time, I avoid the calendar times when the crowds are out of hand here.  May is good.  September and October are ideal.  August is another story - heat, humidity, and huge crowds.

The picture is Sarah on the boat from our hotel to the Disney Studios.  I have never seen so many people jammed on one of the things.

When we got here Sarah insisted that we come straight to her favorite ride - Tower of Terror - lines be damned.  At 7:30PM, the line is about one hour long. 

I bought an iPhone application that links into the parks estimated line times, hopefully this will be one of the longest lines I wait in.

Off to Orlando

We are at the President's Club in Newark about to head-off to Orlando for Sarah's 2009 trip.  We are going to Disney World - again, and will be staying at the Disney Swan Hotel.