Adventure Ocean Cruise Club

I loved the Adventure Ocean Kids Club on our trans-Atlantic cruise ship from Panama to Spain. The cruise ship was way better than the Disney Cruise I took a few years back. The reason why it was way better was because there weren't that many people so all the activities were more fun.

Anytime the club was open I would go. We would play games, do scavenger hunts around the ship, watch movies, make art projects and sometimes play on the Wii. My favorite games were gaga ball and crazy tag. They were made up by the Adventure Ocean staff. We played them everyday and no one got bored of them because there is tons of action.

We did two scavenger hunts, one just in the Adventure Ocean room and one all over the ship. The first scavenger hunt was on pirate night. We went around the ship looking for clues that would tell you where to go next. The last clue was at the reception desk and it told you to go back to Adventure Ocean and you find the treasure there. Turns out the treasure was candy and we only got one piece each. This was lame but I still had a blast on the treasure hunt.

Cameron the pirate.

My favorite art project was making a submarine porthole diorama. I liked it because I colored, cut, paste and built something plus I doodled fish in crayon on the diorama.

I made a friend from Costa Rica named Rolly. We did everything together in club. Rolly is 11 years old and I am 9 but I am taller than him. Even though Spanish was his first language I could still understand him when he spoke broken English.

My favorite night was carnival night which was the last night. It was so fun. The staff gave each of us 20 tickets to play the various games. There was ring toss, tic-tac-toe, basketball, bowling, and soccer goalie kick. These games were two player games and the person who won each game would get all the tickets that were bet. All I would do was play tic-tac-toe. Most of the kids were horrible at tick-tack-toe one kid didn't even know how to play tic-tac-toe so I would bet six tickets and so would the other person and I would win their tickets. The person with the most tickets won a prize. That was Rolly and I got second.

Michelle, one of my club leaders.

Note from my Mom:
At first Cameron had absolutely no desire to go into his club because his brothers wouldn't be with him, they were too old. Cameron and I went to the club to sign him up and Michelle said that he could join his brothers in the Fantaseas teen club if he tried Adventure Ocean three times. Guess she knew something Cameron didn't because after one afternoon he was hooked and never begged or even asked to join his older brothers in the teen club. So glad he found a place to call his own.

I wish I had more photos of Camerons time in Adventure Ocean but when I walked in one day to see how things were going I was politely told no parents are allowed in Oceans Club. I chuckled at that but totally understood the policy.

Pool Olympics

Throughout our 14 days on the cruise ship there were different classes and activities to do. One of the activities was the Pool Olympics. The Pool Olympics were a series of challenges and games in which two teams competed against each other. Each team had five people or four adults with two kids. I know that 2+4=6 but two kids equaled one person.

The first game was the ring toss. The blue rings were worth two points and the red rings were one. My team and I won the ring toss. I got four points for my team.

The next challenge was to find the ping pong ball in the water while being blindfolded. Only one person per team was allowed to play. I didn't get to play but I cheered for my team.

The next day was round 2 of the Pool Olympics. The first game was musical chairs. I didn't make it far. However my team, the blue team won.

My favorite, the human number, was the next game. The objective of the human number is to form a number with your team mates without letting go of their hands. The last challenge of the day was to collect as many golf balls in three minutes from the pool.

Finally the last round of the Pool Olympics came to determine the overall winner and the loser. No one showed up to play except Cameron and I. Since this was the case they added a twist to the competition. The activities director Abel had all the people on the pool deck participate too. It was like a scavenger hunt. Abel would call out an item and my brother and I would race around on the pool deck to find the object like a purse or sun glasses from someone. It was very fun and funny. One time he asked for a yellow hat. Cameron saw a man walking by with a yellow hat and he snatched right off his head but then I took the it from Cameron and we fought over it playfully. Once I got it I ran to the activities director and he said the point goes to Cameron because he had it first.

The Final Round. On your marks. Get set. GO!

Cameron wins gathering 6 pairs of shoes.

I win filling a cup with pool water.

I win again getting one pair of mens shorts.

In the end Cameron got first place with 13 points and I got second place with 8 points.

Cameron celebrating his victory over me.

The Cruise was so much fun and the Pool Olympics was one of my favorite activities.

$675 for the opportunity to puke

Besides our time in Lijiang, China and Lhasa, Tibet most of our trip as been at or close to sea level. Because of this our bodies are accustomed to having fewer red blood cells while consuming oxygen and I know that my body likes it that way. So knowing that we were spending the night in the La Paz airport at close to 13,000 feet we did our best to prepare our bodies for this shock. Little did we know we were also in for another shock compliments of Bolivian Immigration.
We left Argentina on an hour long 9:00am flight to Santa Cruz. Had a nice chat with a plastic surgeon from Italy working with Operation Smile. He told me that all US citizens entering Bolivia are required to get a visa on arrival - one-hundred thirty-five US dollars. With plenty of misplaced confidence I told him that we were transiting through on our way to Peru and in Bolivia less than twenty-four hours so we wouldn't be charged the visa fee.

We left the plane and funneled our way through the immigration line for transit travelers. The agent looked over our documents several times with a curious look. All five of us stood their patiently and quietly. Then in his best English he informed us that we had to pay the visa fee!

Totally convinced he didn't understand our travel plans due to his lack of proficient English I proceeded to explain again slowly and with very elementary words. He listened politely and then explained that since we have a five hour layover in Santa Cruz, a flight to La Paz and a 7 hour overnight layover there we will have exceeded the 8 hours (I was expecting 24 hours)allowed for transit passengers. He also went on to say that because one leg of our trip was a domestic flight he was required to process us into Bolivia no matter how long our layover.

That last fact made it all click for Robert and with a humble look accepted our fate.

Me, not so much. My not so pretty emotions were running high. With tears welling in my eyes I stormed off to the ladies bathroom, locked myself in a stall and broke down crying which is not really my style. I was still participating in my personal pity party when Robert came to the door of the ladies room and gently told me we need to pay the $675USD and proceed through. I would have rather continued my temper tantrum in the Bolivian bathroom but sensibility prevailed.

The customs agent graciously escorted me to the ATM to get the required $675 in US dollars chatting with me along the way trying to make me feel better. He was being sweet but it didn't really work, I was still ANGRY handing over $675 just to hang out in two Bolivian airports!

Our five hours in the Santa Cruz airport was at least productive. I further refined my family/classroom management skills by getting the boys to pull out their school books while Robert caught up on work.

Happy to be leaving Santa Cruz on our way to La Paz.

***
We arrived in La Paz around 10:00pm and discovered the coolest Subway sandwich restaurant. Leather couches with coffee tables, internet stations, swanky music and a calm soothing atmosphere. It was open only two more hours so we took full advantage of the comfort knowing the rest of our night would be spent trying to sleep in lousy airport chairs.

Taylor getting comfy as Cameron and I chill on the leather couch.

At midnight we were politely asked to leave and found a bank of chairs without the armrests so stretching out for the night was possible. We all unpacked our sleeping sheets, grabbed anything that would become some semblance of a pillow and laid down our heads.

Our La Paz airport accommodations. Doing well before hell.

Two hours into what we thought would be a fairly restful nights sleep the horror began. First, Cameron woke up with a splitting headache and spilled his lunch in the nearest trash can. Next it was my turn to leave a part of me in Bolivia. The two of our bodies decided one time was not enough, it needed to remind us five times how much it abhorred being at 13,000 feet and was doing everything it knew how to tell us to GET DOWN TO SEA LEVEL NOW!

Robert was our savior that night. He stayed awake taking care of us as our bodies revolted. Further into the early morning Ryan and Taylor's bodies decided they had enough oxygen deprivation too and communicated with them the same way Cameron and I were experiencing. Only neither one of them made it to the designated trash can in time. Boy did I feel sorry for the airport janitors.

NO PHOTOS OF US FILLING THE TRASH CANS AND MESSING THE FLOOR BUT IT'S VIVIDLY ETCHED IN MY MEMORY.
When the airport shops opened, Robert bought coca tea, coca candies and some sort of medicine that help with altitude sickness. Then the airport medic came to our rescue with straight up oxygen for us to inhale. What a treat. Our bodies were backing down now, relenting, giving up, accepting their fate of being at altitude for the next month.

We were all well enough to board our 8:30am flight to Cusco, Peru which was two-thousand feet lower than La Paz. 11,000 feet above sea level never looked so good.
I have to say it was without a doubt one of the worst nights in my life! So knowing that we will be in Vail, Colorado (8,000 ft) at the end of our trip, I stocked up on coca tea and candies for that part of our journey. No one wants a repeat of La Paz.

So happy to be in Cusco at only 11,000 feet elevation.

12 Birthday in Ayacucho, Peru

Birthday Boy!

I woke up extremely tired and remembered it was my birthday. My attempt to get out of bed was hard but I did it in no time. The first yap that came out of Cameron's mouth was "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN" which he screamed at the top of his lungs. I thought "glad that´s over"! Then my Mom thought she was being funny and said "Here is you special birthday milk,  and special birthday corn flakes cereal" (which everyone was else was getting ).

After that great breakfast I decided to make some chocolate milk for my brother and I. After drinking my chocolate milk my Mom gave me the day off of school but she said I have to read a history war book instead. I read for about hour about Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt.

Once I finished the book my Mom, Cameron, and I decided to get a fruit shake at the local market. Dad was working and Taylor was doing home work at our friends house so we walked over to ask if they wanted to go with us. Both said "No" so we went on our way to the shake stand. My brother and I ordered two mango con leche shakes and pound cake. That's mango with milk plus honey and vanilla. I drank my shake down to the last drop. So delicious! 

Later that day I got to pick the lunch spot. I chose a traditional Peruvian chicken restaurant, Pollo a La Brasa - gilled chicken. Then we went to check on the production of my hand made guitar. The guitar makers son welcomed us in to see my guitar. His workshop was up stairs on top of the house out in the open air. We caught him at the right time because he was shaping my guitar. I watched him take one half of the guitar, put water on the wood and then pressed it on a heated metal arc. My guitar was starting to take shape. 

Once I had seen enough my Mom and Cameron went to the market to get fixings for my birthday dinner and my Dad, Taylor, and I returned to our apartment to get dressed to play basketball.

When we got to the basket ball/soccer court people were playing soccer. We passed the ball around while we waited. Two local kids were watching us so we asked them if they wanted to join us by communicating with hand motions. When the people were done playing soccer we asked the boys if the wanted to shoot around with us? They nodded and followed us down to the court. We showed them how to shoot the ball and they picked it up pretty fast. After shooting for thirty minutes a group came in to play soccer so we decided to make our last shots and went back to the house. I thought it was a lot of fun to play with other boys of a change.

Back at our house my brothers whipped on different clothes and went to our friends house to help with my birthday dinner. My Dad said "We have to stay here forty-five minutes because your Mom wants to surprise you with what we are having for dinner." While my Dad did some work on the computer I finished reading my book "Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt."

Time flew by and my Dad announced it was time to go. We headed down the road to our friends house. Immediately inside my brother decorated me with two paper leis and a birthday crown. I thought it was dorkey. Then my Mom took pictures of me, she thought it was funny. The crown was too small for me so I took it off but left the paper leis on.

Cameron presenting the birthday crown.

Birthday Prince.

Time to eat! We all sat down at the dinner table, blessed the food and started eating. For dinner Mom made a sub sandwich buffet. I didn´t realize how much I missed sub sandwiches. It was delicious!

For my bithday dessert we had the best non-Grandma baked cake in the world. It was light cheese cake style, grahmcracker crust and the top has a layer of elderberries. The cake was so flavorful my taste buds wanted more. My brothers decorated it with twelve plastic frogs. We didn´t have small party candles but we had one big white taper candle. So we lit the candle and my family and friends sang happy birthday to me.

La Meil - cheesecake with blackberry topping

Once everyone was done it was time for me to open presents. The first package I opened has a little orange foam basketball. In the second package there was the DVD of Rango. All DVD movies here are pirated. The next and final present I received was a box of chocolates.

Even though there weren't alot of family and friends to give me gifts I was still happy with what I got. Then my Dad said it was time to go, so we said goodnight to the Woods and I carried what was left of the cake home.

I will never forget my birthday in Ayacucho, Peru and when Cameron decorated me with a crown and paper leis. Plus, even though my birthday cake was good nothing and I mean nothing can match the birthday cakes my Grandma makes.

NCAA on the road

While we were travleing in South America I remembered that the NCAA March Madness Tournament was about to begin. We began watching the first round of the games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in our hostel on my Dad´s iPad. We were lucky that we could watch the game thanks to a new app for apple products called NCAA March Madness on Demand. It was hard to hear and watch the games beacuse there was alot of noisy young adults at the hostel. Another reason it was hard to watch the game was, alot of people were useing the free WiFi wich was causing slow internet for everyone in the hostel. Most of the time we managed to just get the scores and not able to watch the game. Nearing the end of the tournament we were in Cusco, Peru in another hostel. That was where the sad thing happened, Duke lost to Arizona by 12 points. On the other hand Butler, and the WiFi, was doing alot better.

Happily watching the game.

After a few days in Cusco we watched the Final Four in Ayacucho, Peru at our friends the Woods. Luckily they had a projector wich hooked up to the computer to watch the games. We were so excited! The first games were VCU vs. Butler and UK vs.UConn, we dicided to watch VCU vs. Butler. We had a great conection and we could see and hear the game very well.

Another game day.

Two more days went by and the final game was UConn vs. Butler. I was so eager to set up the game. I got everything out that I knew we needed to watch the game. Then our friend Mr.Wood helped me plug in all the cables and we were ready to go. Again the game had a great singnal and good sound. We weren´t happy with how the game turned out, Butler lost, but we were happy with the projector, good sound, and good conection.

The motherboard.

I am glad next year we don't have to watch the games on a tiny iPad screen because we will be home.

At the Wood's house, just like home.

Strange Ayacucho Aparatment

We are spending three weeks in Ayacucho Peru in an old and strange apartment with dogs that pee and poop everywhere, bucket flushing and a shower that can electrocute you, sounds strange huh?

The apartment has three dogs and four puppies. Two of the dogs pee and poop at the bottom of the stair. They can not get up the stairs because a metal sheeting blocks the way. The other dog is nice and proper. Every day when we come back from doing stuff out and about two of the dogs are outside the gate on the sidewalk and the proper one is inside. The dogs outside of the gate always bark at us and then step back because Ryan scares them away. At night when we come back and the dogs are back inside the gate because the owner lets them in for the night, we find poop or pee at the bottom of the stairs that we have to step around.

One of the puppies

The toilet in the apartment is very unusual. If it doesn't flush the first time try bucket-flushing. To do this you take a bucket, fill it with water and quickly dump it into the toilet. This flushes the toilet water away because gravity pulls it down. There is a sign above the toilet that tells you how to bucket-flush.

Our instructions.

The shower is dangerous but also popular around Peru. The name of this murdering shower is called the Widow Maker. It's a small instant hot water heater installed on top of the shower head. The wires are not in the wall like in the U.S. but instead they are stapled onto the wall. They hook up with switch to turn it on. Before you get into the shower you turn on the switch. When you do this the bathroom light dims because the widow maker uses some of the power to heat the water. Then you get in the shower and turn the water on and hope you don't fry yourself.

The Widow Maker hot water heater.
Notice the electrical tape connecting the wires.

The switch we had to turn on before we got into the shower.

Even though it was a bit strange it was a good place to stay for three weeks.

Macchu Picchu

View from the Sun Gate looking down on the ruins.
We hiked to the top of the peak in the background - Hauyna Picchu.

Machu Picchu was one of the Inka's many lost cities. It Rivals Ankor Wat, the Great Wall, Petra and the Greek ruins. And has the same status of El Durado, the city of gold. The Inkas built many temples and universities but Machu Picchu tops them all.

In the early fifteen-hundreds the Inkas started to build a huge city in the middle of the jungles. It was to be the finest university in all of the Inkan Empire, and one of the greatest cidadels in the known world of the Inkas. There was to be two parts, the agriculture section and the living/industrial section. The Inkans were excellent farmers and scientists.

the Living Section

They would thach terraces into the side of the mountain so that they could grow a variety of crops at one time. As the people built up the mountain they ran into a problem, altitude. To conquer this the Inkas built a giant area that look like a terraced colleseum. They would plant one plant at a time and cover all of the area with that one plant. Then they would watch it and see at which elevation that particular plant would grow the best. Then they did this with all sorts of crops and then took that information and planted different plants at that specific elevation, all the way to the top of the mountain peak at Machu Picchu.

The Inkas were also very good stone-masons. At Machu Picchu the masons built temples to the condor, the sun, and the puma all out of huge monoliths with no mortar.

They did this by cracking the stones into smaller ones. Once the stones were cracked they would stick dry limbs of trees into the cracks and then fill it with water. After a few hours the water would soak in and the limbs would expand and break the rock into the prescice length, hight, and width they wanted. They were so good at masonry that they could carve animals into the rock and make fountains that came out of the stones. A good example of this is at a site called Sacsayhuaman outside Cusco (sounds link of like "sexy woman" according to the German tourists we met) where they built a labrinth using only the stone that was already there.

Sacsayhuaman stone work

At Machu Picchu they did the same thing but used different methods. At the entrance to climb Hauyna Picchu there is a huge stone that looks like a mountain and a little one in front of it. When you back up a bit you realize that is is an image of the same mountain behind it! Another example of architecture is the university itself. The Inkas were very spiritual and built cities in forms of sacred animals and Machu Picchu is in a shape of a condor. Many cities were built this way, Old Cuzco is in the shape of a puma, Pisac, a snake, and Ollantaytambo(oi-an-tay-taam-bo) an alpaca.

When the Spainsh Conquistadors came to South America the Inkas were still building Machu Picchu.

Macchu Picchu

News of the Spanish spread like wildfire all the way to Cusco, the Inkan Captiol. The Inkas had an excellent commuication line that was composed of very fast runners. From Cuzco a Quechua messenger would run from to Machu Picchu in seven hours and relay the message to the scollars in the cidadel. Immedtaly everyone left Machu Picchu, in fear of the Spanish and wanting to distract them away from Machu Picchu in hopes they would not discover it, and fled into the jungles, seven different ways. They took all of their relics and idols with them and scattered them in the jungles. They burnt their Alpaca, Llama, and Vicunya clothing because they thought the clothing was more valuble than gold and silver.

An Alpaca. The mountain behind me is shaped like a face if you look at it sideways.

The Spanish took the gold and silver and made them into coins for the empire. Today that gold and silver is still floating around the world. Although the Spainsh never found Machu Picchu it was forgotten about until the early 1900's. when it was redescovered.

The local Quechua people had still known about the ancient city of the Inkas, but it wasn't until Hiram Bingham discovered it in the 1911. Bingham was a Proffesor at Yale and was searching for the City of Gold (El Dorado) when he came about Machu Picchu. It was then that the myth became truth and spread around the word at lightning speed and is now celebrating it's 100th anniversary of rediscovery. Today it is one of the seven wonders of the world and I had an excellent time there.
 

The view a the end of our day.