So it is Saturday, in the latter part of the afternoon and the sun will be going down soon. I'm back on the public balcony, which is on my deck, overlooking the navy blue water. Far to my right is CoCo Kay, a private island for Royal Caribbean cruisers. That's where I spent most of my day today and it has been pretty memorable.
After loading up on eggs, bacon, fruit, and cornmeal biscuits in the Windjammer, we headed to the bottom of the boat to make our way to Coco Kay. We got there early around 8:30 and we had an hour wait before our snorkeling excursion in what is called Stingray city. We explored the small island and noticed the bright pops of color on every building. Showers, food stands, bathrooms, athletic facilities, plenty of lounge chairs, hammocks, jetskis, etc. I was especially happy to finally see some hammocks for the first time all trip. And I even saw an iguana and a few wild roosters too.
We went snorkeling with about 20 people. We gathered up in a speed boat and headed on a rocky journey about ten minutes off shore. We stopped near a fenced in area that was shaped like a triangle. There was just a tiny dock for us to get set up on. They gave us a mask and snorkel. The fenced in area was only around four feet deep. Within minutes, stingrays were all around us. I freaked out, I guess I watched the movie "Piranha" one too many times. I tried to stay calm but I just wasn't holding or feeding the guys. I did pet one and it felt like a wet mushroom.
There are actually 41 stingrays in the pool, one male and 40 female. Lucky guy, I guess! And the females grow as large as five feet in diameter. When one of them brushed up against my hip, yeah, I could have passed out. It wasn't what I expected, but it was cool to do one time.
We headed back to the island after 45 minutes and I laid in a lounge chair for a bit before the barbecue. And what a barbecue it was. Burgers, jerk chicken, ribs, hot dogs, Mac and cheese, Cole slaw, salads, beans and rice. It was loaded. And so was I after two plates.
I walked over to the activity area, where they have a big inflatable water slide and the beach soccer and volleyball courts. A few folks were kicking a ball around and I joined in. Now I haven't played soccer in maybe ten years. I have no fancy footwork skills, now or then. But I can defend and, obviously, I don't play half ass.
Before long, we had ten players. We had people from the USA, Colombia, Mexico, Zimbabwe, and who knows where else. I played defense. I went against some good players and did well for a while until I started to get tired. Eventually we got to 8 on 8 on that little court.
There was a really cute Latin girl who I talked with a little during the game. I expected her to have an accent, but she didn't. She actually played division 1 soccer recently in California and she had some mad soccer skills. I even set her up for a goal, which was pretty cool. Sadly, I lost track of her shortly after the game.
After we were done, my left ankle was hurting and I had a little trouble walking. I blocked a lot of hard kicks and I had been kicked in the ankles a lot. I was just spent. I needed to take a shower, use the bathroom, grab a drink, jump in the ocean, and sleep all at once. Mom was already gone so I was on my own.
At one of the bars, I drank a Bahama Mama, with coconut rum and orange and pineapple juices. They gave me a cup of ice and I must have looked ridiculous trying to ice my ankles and feet. I went to the first aid station and they had no ice packs. I was just befuddled. Probably the only civilized first aid station without ice.
So I jumped in the water for a bit, before taking a quick outdoor shower. Then, I just left the island on the boat to head back to the ship. I struggled up the steps, but got to my room where I changed clothes, grabbed a Coke, and headed to the balcony to reflect and blog. And just two minutes ago, the sunset appeared to my right. It's hard to imagine life getting more relaxing and free that. The hard part though? Replicating a feeling like this in Chicago.
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