On our way back from breakfast we stopped at the front desk and got more Sea-Calm for my mom because she knew that we were going to be in open waters on the catamaran later today and she didn't want to get sea sick again. We then went back to the room, packed up a backpack and disembarked the ship.
Our excursion didn't meet until 12 noon so we had the morning to walk around town and see what they had to offer. We walked around town for a bit and tried to buy sunscreen from a pharmacy because we couldn't find a grocery store, but every place was charging from 15 - 20 euros for a small bottle. We were crispy and red from the day before and we were trying to prevent us from burning more, but we were not going to pay that much for a bottle when it was only 8 dollars (yes, USD) on the ship. Most of the shops were still closed because it was too early in the morning so we just walked around and sat in a few random parks.
Santa Cruz reminded me a lot of Granada but just with more of an island feel to it. The shops were the same store and it had a main drag just like Granada. Once again we couldn't find the tourist shops that we were looking for so we decided to head back to the ship to buy some sunscreen and eat lunch before our excursion.
When we got to the shop on the ship, deck 7, it was closed. DUH! It is a duty free shop so it cannot be open when we are in port, our mistake. So we just went to eat lunch in Raffles Court instead. After lunch we returned to our room to gather the backpack we had packed up earlier and the tickets and we were off!
When we checked it outside on the port, we got on a coach bus and I saw that my mom had her Columbia jacket. I forgot mine, mainly because I thought I wouldn't need it, but then I changed my mind and dashed back on ship to get my jacket before the bus left. While all this was going on, we were still waiting for another couple to show up (they were late) and I actually made it back on the bus with my jacket before they showed up. Eventually they boarded the bus and we were off on a one hour bus ride to the south side of the island, Puerto Colon, where the catamaran was located.
I slept a good majority of the trip because I did not get a good night's sleep last night. The photos above are credit to my dad.
When we arrived at the marina there was a cool little boat that was going by that looked like a bullet. We were amused by it! You can kind of see it behind the white catamaran in this photo, but this is the best one that we have!
We had to wait around outside for about 15 minutes before we could board the boat because they were loading the drinks and other necessary items on board. There was also a booze cruise going on next to us, with mostly 20 year olds, and they had the white boat that is pictured above. Our catamaran was blue, which will be pictured later in the post! We all boarded the catamaran, got our picture taken, and found out seats, and then we were off!
From the water you could see the highest peak in Spain, Mount Teide. The peak is only visible from the water.
We drove out a good distance to be in the area that the whales were located. There were also a couple of other boats watching for whales as well. My mom and I were originally sitting on the side of the boat but eventually we moved to the middle where we sat on cushions under the sails. It was really nice to feel the breeze from the water and be in open-ness, but I was definitely glad that I ran back to get my jacket because it was a bit chilly! My dad was next to the captain the whole time for 2 reasons, it was covered so there was shade, and he likes to boat and look at the equipment that is used.
Once we got out into the open water, and the crew was introduced, one of the deck hands came around and delivered us all bocadillos. They were ham and cheese and they were pretty good, but not as good as Mila's. Then we were allowed to go downstairs, where the bathrooms were, to get free drinks if we wanted to. They had beer, wine and soda, and of course water. I had a half wine half Sprite mix, my mom had Coke and my dad had beer.
After cruising for a while we finally got to see our first whale! It was nothing like I expected and such a cool experience. I cannot remember the type of the whale that it was, but I do remember that it was a unique one, one that they don't usually see while whale watching.
The view of the south side of the island from the catamaran.
Pilot Whales! These are the whales that are most commonly seen while whale watching in this area. We definitely got our fair share of sightings!! Here are some of better pictures that I captured. It is difficult to get pictures because you have to anticipate when they are going to come up for air and click the shutter button right before that happens! I have to give myself props though, because I did catch some awesome images!
The whales would swim right up next to the boat, these two pictures are them underwater, but it is a little hard to make out the shape.
Bottlenose dolphins!
The front of the catamaran, posing for a picture! And a candid moment of my dad looking out onto the water.
After viewing the whales and dolphins we stopped near a beach and we had the opportunity to go for a swim. Nobody in my family went because the water was a little too chilly for our likings, temperatures similar to Lake Michigan. Here are the views from where we anchored.
When everyone was done swimming we returned back to the marina and got on the bus to head back to the north side of the island, where the cruise ship was. Here is the catamaran that we were on, the Freebird!
Here are a few more shots of the island as we were driving back to the north side.
A cool sculpture in a plaza!
When we got back to the ship we got ready for dinner and went and ate in the Windows dining room. For dinner my mom and I had a pork and vegetable spring roll and my dad had a garden salad with 1000 island dressing. For the main course my dad and I both had prime rib roast and I cannot remember what my mom had. For dessert we tried a chocolate dish that was similar to brownies and cake batter with fresh berries and raspberry sauce.
After dinner we went to the show for the evening, Showtime: Broadway Hits. The show was put on by the performers who did the other show choir like performance. They had songs from Wicked, and other Broadway performances that I have never heard of. The show was entertaining but I wished I would have known the other acts so I could somewhat know what was going on.
We went back to the room to find the towel animal of the evening, AN ELEPHANT!!! Excited was an understatement!
I might have done something more between the show and hot tub, but I don't have my itinerary sheet for this day so I am not sure...
When the show was over we wandered around the ship for a little bit. Then I went and hung out in the hot tub for the next 2 hours. I was the only one there for the majority of the time and there was someone in the pool. The pool's water would go back and forth because of the rocking of the waves and the person swimming in it the pool would go with it. It reminded me of the time that we jumped off the hot tubs on our Royal Caribbean cruise into the pool that way swaying. After the hot tub I went back to the room, showered and went to bed.
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