Author: HigmanTravels

NOTE: I thought I posted this a while ago but due to our very S-L-O-W internet on the ship, I guess it didn’t load.  So, a little late but here it is.

Seriously, what can I say about all these places. Pure paradise. Everyone is so friendly and it is one postcard picture after another of scenery. My iPhone pictures don’t do it justice so imagine my pictures x 1000.

First stop, American Samoa. We took a trip to a village and they showed us how they cooked and even got to taste the food. In Samoan culture, the men do the cooking. OK, next life I’m marrying a Samoan! Justin told me that American Samoa is the military’s largest recruiting ground.

That evening, we had our last performance for our Hawaiian dancing group. They were awesome. We also had a performance from the Samoan crew members. Some of them were leaving our ship the next day when we get to Samoa as they have been on ship for 11 months!! They were hilarious and quite good.

Next, we are in Western Samoa, or just Samoa. I guess they changed their name and American Samoa was not happy.

Here we visited an art institute and saw some amazing art by the students. They were all for sale, of course. I would have bought something if I were going home right away.

Then, a few hours of rest and relaxation at the Sheraton with a buffet and performance. Sometimes a relaxing day is in order.

Next up, Tonga!! Again, extremely friendly people who will go out of their way to help you. We visited a local market on our own, then off to the tour where we drove by the Royal Palace. No one lives there anymore but they still use it for ceremonial purposes. Then the royal burying grounds where 4 of the last 5 Kings are buried along with the mother of the current king. The blow holes were amazing!!! And, it’s all up and down the coast. I read that we were going to a flying fox colony and I was very excited. I though we would see foxes jumping from bush to bush. Well, no, flying foxes are actually fruit bats. Below are pictures/videos. They are really big but I was disappointed that they weren’t really foxes. 😜

We are off to two stops in Fiji. The first port was Suva, the largest city in Fiji. Justin and I both noticed that there was a lot of signs in Chinese. And, the 2nd most spoken language is Fijian Hindi. WHAT!!!????

The Chinese population in Fiji is small but their relationship with China goes back to the 17th century. Sea cucumbers were exported to China and was one of the main exports. Indians were brought as indentured servants for the sugar cane plantations. Many of the crew from Mauritius even commented that they were mistaken for locals. Their appearances are definitely different from those in Samoa or even French Polynesia. The second most prominent religion is Hinduism. There are 333 islands that make up Fiji with about 110 that are inhabited. We took a rafting tour down the Nauva River. It was so lush and beautiful. Anaconda 2 was filmed here and we passed one of the waterfalls featured in the film. Our guide was the descendent of the first white man to come on this land. He was left behind by his crew because they had some sort of a conflict. He was accepted into the village and even married one of the chief’s daughters.

Taro – a staple of Fijian diet

Our second day in Fiji was one of relaxation. Well, at least for me. I’ve had an ear infection for about a week now. I’ve been on antibiotics and it doesn’t seem to be helping very quickly. The ship’s doctor said I need to be on them for at least 11-12 days.

Justin, Justyne, and Jevyn went scuba diving. They saw a lot of very cool fish, and even touched a jellyfish.

That was our time in the South Pacific. Next up New Zealand and Australia !!

Known as one of the most beautiful places on earth, Bora Bora did not disappoint. But, of the French Polynesian islands, our favorite has to be Moorea. Why? Well, maybe because we stayed two nights at the Hilton. No, really, Moorea just seemed a little more intimate, even though Moorea has 18,000 people vs. Bora Bora’s 12,000. Bora Bora has many different islands so your hotel May be on a different island than the airport or sea port than the places to visit. But, we liked it nevertheless. We took a land and sea excursion. Three hours in the sea – 3 different spots: one outside the reef where we saw lots of black top sharks, including lemon sharks; one inside the reef where we saw lots of stingrays, but these weren’t as friendly as the ones in Moorea (another reason to love Moorea more); then the coral garden, which was kind of sad because all the coral reefs are dying. Yes, global warming and sunscreens (please use reef safe such as ones from Pacific Beach Organics or Raw Elements), among other reasons. We saw spottings of color but mostly it was lots and lots of gray. Again, most of my underwater pictures are on the GoPro so will just leave you with a few photos out of water.

Then, we had lunch at Bloody Mary’s. Then 3 more hours of a land tours with amazing views. We also stopped for coconut water and went to a sarong shop where they made the sarongs. Cotton is from 🇨🇳 but the rest is done by hand. All colors are natural and they were beautiful. We even got a lesson in different ways of wearing the sarong.

Our tour guide serenading us during our coconut water break (above)

You will find these rock arrangements (above) on every island. These are called Marai – they are ceremonial alters where people gather to offer sacrifices to their gods. In the 12th century, they had one god and would offer animals. But, around the 17th century they had many gods and would offer human sacrifices. The first missionary came to Tahiti in 1845. In 1878, the first Polynesian was converted and it was the 2nd king of Polynesia.

Unfortunately, some friends from the ship went to a beach and got everything stolen. The islands all seem very serene and safe but Justin learned there’s a dark underbelly here too. Apparently, the meth problem here has been on the uptick. Our tour guide told us that for the first time since he’s know there have been home break-ins. Our friends went to the beach, and were having fun in the water and when they returned everything was gone. EVERYTHING – money, credit cards, cameras, all of it. They did file a police report and she has insurance for all her techy gear but they have to start over! Sucks!! We let them use my extra phone and extra camera until we get to Auckland where they are having credit cards and things sent to. That would just suck! But, this shows you that you can never be too vigilant.

On our tender back to the ship, we saw these guys in a canoe chasing our tender. We thought they were going to run into us but, instead, they were trying to catch our wake to ride it. It was really cool. They would go from one boat to another. It looked like a lot of fun.

We are going to be in American Samoa next, then Western Samoa, and Fiji will be our last stop in Polynesia. Don’t know when I’ll be able to update again so I’ll leave you with this sunset over the South Pacific.

We are off to Hawaii and far off lands. Before that we spent 4 days at sea getting to Hawaii. Even though I didn’t have a hard time it was not fun for the kids or the staff. Apparently, one of the crew members jumped ship in San Diego. It was a Honduran woman who left the ship and didn’t return. So, because of this none of the staff were allowed to leave the ship. Well, we were told that they were allowed off in Los Angeles but they were something like 3 hours late. But, this wasn’t their fault. They didn’t realize how bad the traffic could be in Los Angeles. So, U.S. immigration no longer allows them to come ashore in any U.S. state or territory. So, these poor employees could not get off in San Francisco (3 days plus one day at sea), 4 days at sea to Hawaii, 3 days in Hawaii, and 5 days at sea. That’s a total of 16 days without getting off the ship. I felt so bad for them that I bought them souvenirs from both Hilo and Honolulu. They all collect magnets so I became a magnet connoisseur. It gave me something to do. I don’t normally buy anything so this gave me something to shop for.

In Hilo, we went to the University of Hawaii astronomy center to learn about how the ancient Hawaiians used the stars to guide them to the islands and even to the U.S. mainland. Then, we did my favorite Hawaiian thing, eat shave ice – with only Azuki beans and condensed milk. It tasted a little different. It turns out it was coconut condensed milk. Changed the experience a bit but was good nevertheless. We then walked around a bit and found the tsunami museum. That was really interesting. Hilo has been hit many times by tsunamis. The funnel like underwater shape of the bay amplifies the waves coming in. The big tsunami hit Laupahoehoe on April 1, 1946, killing 25 people including students and teachers at a school in Laupahoehoe Point. We heard a school teacher who experienced this tsunami at the museum (she was recorded, not live). It sounded so scary. After this, a territory wide tsunami warning system was established in 1948. Unfortunately, this system didn’t extend to South East Asia when the devastating tsunami took place there in 2004. This is the tsunami that took Nate Burkes’s boyfriend. Ha! Bet you didn’t know that! 😜 But, now the warning system is in place all over the pacific. I don’t know exactly where and I don’t really want to look it up so you can do it and let me know. 😂. Enjoy some sites of Hilo. I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of my shave ice.

Next, we were off to Honolulu. We were there a few years ago so we decided not to participate in any of the excursions. Instead, Justin rented a room in the Hilton Hawaiian Village so the we could have good internet to get some work done. Yes, we were spoiled by the amazing internet at our San Diego house. Justin met up with a couple of friends from his Japan days (Tom and Josh) and I met up with a friend (Russel) from the “Love Boat” in 1987. Russell always makes time to meet up with us so we are very grateful. Thanks Russell!! We swam in the lagoon and the kids got to ride the water bicycle and I got to SUP. We spent the day in the lagoon of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and just had a fun and relaxing day. Justin and I were talking about how the Hilton Hawaiian Village was always the grand prize for the gameshows when we were kids. Haha. We were trying to tell the kids how iconic this hotel is. And, it’s still in great condition. Japanese are still the big tourists in Hawaii. Russell told us that they did a bunch of training in preparation for the Chinese to come but they never came en mass like other places. I wonder why? Maybe too much beach? They don’t like the sun.

We ate breakfast at this amazing place called the Aloha Kitchen on Ena road. We walked by on our way to the laundry mat and saw that there was a long line there. That was the place for us. The food was amazing, as expected.

We met up with Jenna Hanohano and her family. Justyne and Ambri started kinder together at Barnard. She and her family were able to move back to Hawaii after a stint in the DC area. So happy to see them!

Five days at sea would have been tough but we loaded up on games while we were in San Diego and Honolulu. Justin’s new favorite is Stomple. My favorite is still Sequence. Kids like Clue. We even got -blast from the past – Battleship!!

After five days at sea, we arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. We took the included excursion and we decided that it was not really worth our time. But, hey, it was free. We went to Vénus Point, where Captain Cook and William Bligh set up camp. We also visited Taharaa lookout for a beautiful panoramic view of the coast.

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We then broke our trip and traveled early (via a 45 minute ferry ride) to Moorea and stayed in an overwater bungalow at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa. If you are ever in Moorea, this is the place to be. So so beautiful and just as you imagined French Polynesia would be. Though, most of their tourists are from the U.S. so they should just give up on the French thing. Just speak English, for pete sakes. Be like Rwanda!

On the second day, we took a jet ski and stingray/black fin shark tour. Definitely the highlight of this trip. The stingray are like dogs. They are so happy to see you and come up to get fed. They are not captured, just swimming in the ocean. But, they are “trained” to come when the people come to feed them. I got to drive a jet ski for the first time. It was fun but my right had was numb from “driving.” But, I think I did pretty good!! Captain Cook’s cove was so beautiful. You have to get the view from the water to the mountains. Unfortunately, I didn’t capture that view. Next time!! I’d love to go for a hike but that will have to wait until the next visit as well. Most of my pictures are on the GoPro and I haven’t downloaded those yet. But here are pictures from the island we stopped off to have a snack and break. Stingrays were everywhere. So so friendly!

We went to Rick’s for dinner. Yummy. Parrot fish was the best ever!! So buttery. We had to find an indoor venue for dinner tonight as the kids got eaten alive last night. We had to move our dinner to our room last night Jevyn’s was the worst!

Today, we are leaving our amazing Hilton Moorea but not before we get a paddle board ride in.

Since we have until 5 pm to get back to the ship, we are renting a car to do a self- drive tour of Moorea. It takes about 1.5 hours to get around the entire island and there is only one road around the island so we cannot get lost.

NOTE:  Please excuse any typos and grammar mistakes. I’m doing this at 1:30 in the morning so my eyes are not very good.  Trying to get this done for all the folks out there waiting for our updates. 🙂

This was an exciting day for us – going through the Panama Canal.  Not only was this going to be so amazing and fun but it gets us one step closer to the Pacific Ocean and home.

We took a 7 hour tour to go through three locks of the canal.  It was a long trip but was definitely worth going through it with a smaller boat and getting a clear view of the locks and the water going up and down.

The Canal is a very profitable venture for the government of Panama.  Well, at least we think it is but we have no idea how it’s managed and how profitable it really is.  I can cost more than a million dollars for a ship to go through the Canal.  They told us that just last year, a Disney ship went through and paid over a million.  Cargo ships are paid by how much they are carrying, and can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.  WOW!  we had no idea.  Going through the Canal can save 2-3 of shipping time so that must be worth it.

This is our big ship going through the locks.

And, just like that, we are on the Pacific!  Next stop, Costa Rica!

Puntarenas, Costa Rica – Here, we toured a bird and jaguar sanctuary.  They take in injured animals or animals confiscated from smugglers or animals that are so used to being around people that they would not survive in the wild.  Seriously, people, you cannot have these things as pets.  This sanctuary did have a Macaw breeding program.  It’s been really successful but many of the birds don’t leave the area even though they’re free.  The guide told us that it’s a process for them (the birds). It can take up to two years for them to leave the area.   There were also monkeys…they were funny.

We then went into town and had an amazing lunch and some PURA VIDA!

PURA VIDA

Jevyn got some oil on his hands from the roll door

Corinto, Nicaragua – We visited a banana plantation in Nicaragua.  This is their largest export and we went to the largest plantation in Nicaragua.  We were told that the owner of this company really supports the community and donates a lot of money to local hospitals and other needy organizations. We were disappointed that we couldn’t taste the bananas but they did provide us with banana chips and guac and beans.  YUMMY!!!

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala –  We took another beach day in Guatemala in a cute little resort.  Though the waves were too strong to swim in the ocean, we were able to play in the pool and Jevyn loved the swim up bar.  We had a nice meal and just chilled for a few hours.  They greeted us with delicious coconut juice, straight from the source!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – This excursion was definitely a huge surprise, in a great way.  We went to a place called Las Caletas, and it was accessible by boat only.  It was supposed to be another “beach break” but ended up being much much more.  Justyne, Justin and I had massages.  Justin, Jevyn and Jayden tried power snorkeling, using one of those motorized propellers to “ride” through the water.  They really loved it.  The weather is getting cooler and the water is definitely getting colder. But, we had a great day with amazing Mexican food.   We really couldn’t get enough.  The food on the ship is not great and we were ready for some major flavor!  This hit the spot.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico –    Another fun day on the catamaran.  Man, these European seniors are tough.  When we were snorkeling, this woman was pushing me out of the way.  She was literally shoving me!  I’m not sure if she was pushing me or grabbing for help.  Two ladies fell on the catamaran but they seemed OK.  This is also why they don’t serve drinks until after the snorkeling.

Jayden having fun with our excursion representative, Gabriella.

OK, that is it.  That’s the first third of our cruise.  I will try to post what I can but I the internet on the ship sucks so it might be a while.  In the meantime, I will post bits and pieces on Instagram and FaceBook so see you there and see you soon!

Where are we off to next?  Hawaii, the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia.  That’s the 2nd third of our trip.

Thanks so much for following!

Puerto Rico – OK, so how the heck did I skip Puerto Rico.  We were in PR between St. Thomas and Curacao.  We actually didn’t do a lot here.  We went to a beach club and just relaxed and got some wifi action.  It was definitely much needed connection to the outside world – outside the cruise world.  After the beach break, we walked around downtown San Juan where the San Sebastian celebration was taking place.  The area filled with music and celebration.   Sanse (as it was called) activities occurs over four days and we caught the last day of the festivities.  The kids were very excited to see a Walgreens and we had to take a trip to get candy, of course!

Santa Marta and Cartagena, Colombia – we are now in South America, our second continent of the trip.  But, this is still part of the Caribbean so nice beaches, clear waters, friendly people, and beautiful architecture.  We were extremely impressed with Cartagena.  I will definitely be back because there are beautifully woven bags that I should have bought but didn’t.  So, I have to go back!!!!  Santa Marta was basically a port town so not a lot going on there.  We took another “beach break” and hung out at a hotel but enjoyed some fun entertainment.  Cartagena was extremely clean, and we were especially impressed with the old town area.  It was so colorful and all the buildings were restored beautifully.  We never got to the newer part of town.  We took a coffee excursion but I was a little disappointed that we didn’t go to a coffee plantation.  We had a tasting inside a beautiful building and learned that coffee in Colombia is actually not very good.  The good coffee is all exported. On the way back to the ship, there was a little zoo where birds flew freely.  Peacocks were everywhere, including on branches.  Jevyn got to hold a parrot.

We will be crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific next.  Stay tuned….

After a 3 day drive through Ronda, Seville, and Cordoba, we finally arrived in Barcelona, again.  If you remember, we stopped here for a day back in October after our stay in the Balkans. Somehow, I got really lucky and rented a place in the liveliest part of the city.  As you may remember, we were in the actual center of the city at the Plaza de Espana.  We thought we lucked out with that spot because it was within walking distance to the best sushi place.  But, this time, we were situated near Plaza de Catalunya.  We had shopping right outside our doors, the Gothic quarter was just steps away, and, best of all, we were directly on the parade route for the Three Kings Celebration.  Apparently, their big holiday is Three Kings Day on January 6, not Christmas.  Not being a religious person, I have no idea what it all means but I’m sure someone will educate me.

We were also just steps from the cathedral.  Jayden an I walked around and even caught some street performers.

After 3 days in Barcelona, we were ready to get on the Ship.  Our cruise line, MSC was a cargo shipping company based in Italy who then got into the cruising business.  They had a stellar reputation and we were about to embark upon a 119 day cruise around the world.  It started in Rome (Civitavecchia), Genoa, Marseille, and Barcelona, where we embarked.  First stop, Malaga! Right back to where I started this whole journey. Many of you may remember that I spent a week in Malaga after my Kilimanjaro trip to look for an apartment in Spain. We didn’t do much but walk around the center of town.

Next stop, Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal.  What a lovely little island. The views were amazing, the food was delicious, and the people very friendly. Because it’s an island, sometimes they run short of supplies so most everyone has a little garden here.  The streets are lined with small shops and colorful paintings on walls.  It’s amazing how resourceful people are.  This island is full of hills and mountains but people live up and down those hills and have made a great life for themselves here.  Major crop are bananas.

After our stop in Funchal, we had 5 sea days.  Five days at sea is a lot of time with not a lot to do.  We got acquainted with some of the cruise staff.  This guy is on the entertainment team.  He is so funny.  He has a big crush on Justin. 🙂

First stop in the Caribbean was Sint Maarten.  It was so nice to get into some warm weather after the cold weather in Spain.  We went for a catamaran ride and a little snorkeling. The kids really like catamarans so you will see us on them often.

Next stop, St. Thomas.  We went to a beach club so that we could just rest a bit and go for a swim. The highlight was seeing an iguana.

Banana Daiquiris

Magen’s Bay

Me and Tinger

Iguana on the beach

Beer in every country

Curacao – We loved this island.  As Curacao used to be underwater we walk up to the caves, rather than go down to the caves.  The original inhabitants of this island used to live in some of these caves.  There were even fresh water pools in these caves.  After the caves we went for a “submarine” ride in the water.  The guide jumped in the water to feed the fish and we got to see a lot of pretty fishies.  We even saw a lot of puffer fish.  Last but not least, we went to the Curacao factory.  The Spaniards brought Valencia oranges to Curacao, hoping they’d grow.  We LOVE Valencia oranges!  Unfortunately, the Valencias did not do well in this hot humid condition.  But, from this some ingenious person experimented and created the curacao liquor.  The oranges stay green and are picked and the peels are used to create the drink.  Authentic curacao come only in the round bottles with the long neck.  Because you cannot trademark the name of the country, they trademarked the bottle design.  All curacao taste the same no matter what color.  There are, though, specialty flavors such as coffee, chocolate, tamarind, and rum raisin.  I liked the coffee and chocolate flavors.  We had to taste the drinks but, boy, were they strong!!!  But, they were very pretty!!

Here are some sites around Curacao.  There is a walking bridge that takes you from one part of Willemstad to the other.  It’s called the Queen Emma Bridge.  The bridge floats on a series of pontoons so it floats across St. Anna Bay.  When boats need to pass through, the bridge actually swings open parallel to shore.  When the bridge is open, two ferries carry people across the bay free of charge.  It actually opened up when we were standing there. I wanted to run over to be on it when it moved but I didn’t want to be rude to our tour guide.  I should have done it!!  There is also a floating market.  Merchants from Venezuela bring fruits and vegetables to this market on a weekly basis.  There is a word in Curacao that is used for everything, much like Namaste is used as a greeting, or to say thanks, or to say it’s wonderful/delightful.  It is DUSHI.  Kind of a weird word for us but they use it for, mostly, to convey positive feelings.  You can also see the Dutch influence in the architecture.  It was very colorful and just very happy!

Next up, Oranjestadt, Aruba.  Both Aruba and Curacao, along with Bonaire, make up the ABC islands.   It is also a part of the Dutch Kingdom.  In school, the learn Dutch, Spanish, French, along with the local tongue of Papiamento – which is a mixture of all these languages, plus more.  This is also the case in Curacao.  Our kids are so lucky that we didn’t know this.  We definitely would have moved here to give them exposure to all those languages!  Aruba is more of a desert-y island, and is very windy much of the time.   We did another catamaran/snorkeling trip and then hired a taxi to tour the island.   Seventy five percent of the population is Roman Catholic.  Seventy five percent of the GNP comes from tourism.  Aloe vera products are popular here.  The California lighthouse is a big tourist spot and it was named after the steamship California that was wrecked off the coast off where the lighthouse is located.  It went through a renovation which was completed in 2016.  The Casibari rock formations that rise above the desert and provide a panoramic view of the island.  It was really beautiful up there. According to government statistics, in 2005, there were 97 cultures represented on the island.  The word DUSHI is also used here just like Curacao.

Jevy having a nice dream

Casibari Rock Formations

Dividivi trees always point to the west

California Lighthouse

Next post – Colombia and more!

Many people have been asking for a new blog post.  Sorry, the internet on the ship is T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E (meaning really slow) and very expensive.  I think we’re spending a few thousand dollars on internet access.  So, I decided to wait til we got back to San Diego to update everyone on the first part of our cruise.  I dedicate this post to Bonnie and Becca who told me that they look forward to my posts and text each other when they see a new post pop up.  Makes all those hours writing the posts worth while.  Thanks ladies!  And, thank you everyone else for reading my posts.

We left Almunecar on January 2 to head up to Barcelona to start our cruise.  On the way, I made the family go to Ronda, Seville, and Cordoba.  These are all very historical cities and, boy, are we glad we saw them.

Ronda is a small mountain town of only about 35,000 people.  It was first settled by the Celts, Suebi (Germanic), Romans, Visigoths (French), Berbers, then the Christians.  Because of the various conquerors, there are different architectural influences all over the town.  Their bull fighting ring is the oldest in Spain. The Romero family, from Ronda, played a principal role in the development of bullfighting – from the capes to the swords.

The great bridges of Ronda was definitely worth the trip.  There are three bridges but we only saw two.  The big one, called the Roman Bridge, was said to have been built on the site of an old bridge built by the Romans.  The bridge crosses the Guadelevin River and connects the center of the city with the more commercial part of the city as it expanded.  It really is amazing how people back then built all these amazing architecture without large machinery.

ready to fight!

Plaza de Toro

Ronda City Center

The Bridge(s)

The Canyon

Church

Seville – One of the capitals during the Moorish rule, Moroccan/Muslim influences are everywhere.  This is the largest city of the Andalusian region and capital of the Seville Province. Seville was also conquered by the Romans, Visigoths, Suebi, Moors, etc. etc. etc. There are many Roman ruins and Moorish influences throughout the city.  The kids were very sick of Roman ruins as they were all over Europe.  “They all look the same!”

Old Roman Aquaduct

Flamenco!

Golden Tower

One of the oldest Bull rings

Cordoba – One of the ancient capitals of the Moors, Cordoba was also settled by the Romans, Visigoths, then the Muslims who made it the capital of the Caliphate.  Cordoba was once the largest city in Europe, and the Mosque-Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Mezquita was built as a small church but was expanded when the Muslims conquered the region.  When the Christians came in during the Reconquista, the site was then converted, again, to a Roman Catholic Church.  The mixture of the many architectural styles make this site interesting.

Mosque-Cathedral

Mosque-Cathedral Courtyard

Mosque-Cathedral

Roman Bridge

I thought I would do one long post but I have to split it up. It’s too much!  See you soon!

Before we get to the Alhambra, we took a little trip to the “snow” to go sledding.  So, it was like 60 degrees out so the snow was a little sparse.  But, the kids – well, me and Jevyn, had fun, nevertheless.  The first clip is of Jevyn, second is of Justyne.

Now, on to one of the most visited sites in Spain, the Alhambra.  As you may or may not know, we are here in the South of Spain, known as Andalusia.  This area is full of history being conquered by the Romans, the Moors, and the Catholics.  For Centuries, this area was ruled by the Moors.  You see influences from Morocco everywhere you go.  It’s truly a mix of European, Berber, Muslim, and Jews.  It’s amazingly beautiful and reminded us a lot of Morocco.

It was constructed as a small fort by the Romans in 889 AD, but was renovated and rebuilt by Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada in the mid-13th century.  It was then converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada in 1333.    After the Christian Reconquista, it was turned into the royal court for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492 (yes, same year as when Columbus sailed the 7 seas and “discovered” America).   It’s unique because the Christians didn’t destroy the Islamic styled architecture but just added bits of Christianity to it.  The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There is also Generalife, the summer palace. It’s on the same grounds but perched on top of a hill so that it gets crosswinds.  There are many gardens with water features, unique to the Moors architecture.  This is actually the last time when Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together peacefully in this area.

Just enjoy the beautiful pictures.

Our tour guide at the Alhambra was Hamdy.  He is from Senegal, came to Spain to study and stayed and married a Spaniard.  His English was amazing though he’s never lived in an English speaking country. He learned his English from Reggae songs.  He was an awesome guide!

Here’s a panoramic view from the top of the hill.

Oh, we also had an amazing Christmas eve meal at the restaurant down the beach from us – El Tesorillo.  It was five courses and our friend/neighbor Anna joined us for after dinner drinks.  She is Romanian and speaks Romanian, obviously, Spanish, French, Italian, and English.  What an amazing woman. I learn so much from her every time we are together.  She’s been teaching me Spanish on our walks.  Such a sweet lady!  We will miss her.

table setting

Course 1: Soup

Course 2: Salad

What’s inside?

Course 3: Salmon & vegetables

Course 4: Veal in a chocolate-y sauce

Course 5: Desert – I can never get to it fast enough so it’s half eaten

With our neighbor Anna

Well, I may or may not get another post in before we head out so see you in Barcelona or on the ship!

Hasta luego! Te veo pronto!  See you soon.

Many of you have asked for a blog post.  Well, we’ve been back in Almunecar for just over a month now (after traveling to Morocco) and we’ve pretty much stayed put.  Kids were over the traveling thing and had to catch up on their school work.  The first week back was full of rain and winds so we were happy to stay in and just chill.  So, nothing exciting has happened since the middle of November.

Justin and I are still doing daily walks.  Kids are still staying inside most of the time. We met a great group of people in the worldschooling community.  Jevyn got buried in the sand in La Herradura.  And, some additional photos of our hike through Monachil.

This is the weirdest thing I’ve seen on my walk.  They were advertising a salon that is located just across the street.  I’m not sure this would make me want to go into that salon.

The restaurant down the street from us has these delicious desserts.  The restaurant is called El Tesorillo and it’s right on the beach.

Lava Cake

Lemon Ice Cream inside a frozen lemon

Jevyn and I went to use the internet because ours at the house is so slow.  We were going to get some drinks but saw their delicious dessert menu.   We ended up having 3 of those frozen lemon ice cream thing. Yummy!  We are hoping to go there for Christmas Eve dinner.

Here are some shots from our walks through Almunecar:

We were able to see a Christmas lights display in Malaga last weekend.

Next post is about our visit to Alhambra and the “snow.”

See you soon!!

We took a little down time in Essaouira. Actually, the timing was good because Justin was very sick, seemed like the flu.

We stayed at the Riad Zahra, about 15 minute walk outside the Médina. We usually like being inside the Médina but this worked out just fine as it forced us to walk along the ocean if we wanted to go to the Médina.

Highlight was Justin and I went to a Hammam. It’s amazing how much it was like the Korean baths. Hammams were used because people didn’t have “bathrooms” in their homes so it was basically a public bath/gathering place. Growing up in Korea we also didn’t have any place to bathe in our home. It was easy in the summer, we just washed in the yard. But, the winter was a whole different story. We didn’t even have hot running water – we had to boil water if we wanted to even wash our faces with warm water. I had only been to a hammam in Spain so I was expecting something totally different. We started with an hour massage, then they took us into a warm room where they basically washed and scrubbed us. It was nice but the Korean baths are definitely more luxurious. We did go to another hammam in Assilah and that was a little better. I’ll tell you about that later. Enjoy some sites of Essaouira.

On our way to Marrakech, we saw some goats on a tree. This, unlike the previous one, was staged. The goat herders actually put them up on the trees so they can get money from the tourists when they stop to take pictures. We noticed that these goats didn’t move. Well, we think they were scared. 😒. I’ll let you see for yourselves. The reason they climb on the trees is to get at the leaves to eat. So, if they’re just standing there, it’s not real.

On the way to Marrakesh we stopped at the Argon oil cooperative. These coops were developed to provide local women work and to provide authentic products. These products are all hand made and organic.

The argon seed is really bitter. Justin and I tasted it and , blah!!! The aftertaste stuck with for hours.

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We are off to Marrakech!

Some amazing landscape on the way. And, more student protests.

We stayed in a cute place in Marrakech just inside the Médina. It was, again, very cute and the food was the best ever!!

We did go to the square with the snake charmers but the monkeys in neck leashes kind of made us sick. We didn’t take pictures. People wanted us to touch their snakes and monkeys. “Touch my snake!” Yikes!!

After a quick stop in Casablanca to visit the Hassan II Mosque, we headed to Rabat.

Stopped by the mausoleum where the King’s father, his uncle, and his grandfather are buried. It was definitely very beautiful. Now that we know how the mosaics are done, we appreciated all the buildings that much more.

Rabat! The capital of Morocco. Definitely cuter than I thought a capital city would be. We stayed in a Dar this time. I can’t remember if I mentioned this but a Riad is a home with a garden in the middle, and a Dar doesn’t have a garden. But, they were all nice to us and many riads are dars were the same so we didn’t care. Hmm. I don’t think I have any pictures of Rabat. We did walk around the Médina a lot and ate about 10 pounds of oranges. They were like $2.

Our last night was in Assilah. A cute little seaside town. A lot of Spanish spoken here. We took our 2nd hammam here and it was definitely a step up from Marrakech. They actually scrubbed us before the massage, which I liked a lot better. The heated room was bigger and beautiful. It was just so cute and the ladies were very nice.

Well, that was our Morocco experience. 17 days of beautiful scenery, amazing food, and tremendous hospitality. Yes, some of the toilets were primitive (squat toilets), but it was definitely worth while and our hosts were incredible.

I would definitely take a “tour” or have a guide. Some of the alleys are very difficult to navigate. I’m past the hostel and struggling stage in my life and like even a minimal bit of luxury.

Www.saharaskyluxurycamp.com is the place to go for your Morocco experience.