Cruisin' the Carribean

I had mixed expectations upon boarding our cruise vessel in Miami. Whilst both Harry and Mike had given me a fair rundown of ship activities, procedures, events, and cruise culture, that had been a completely different cruise company, in a completely different country. We arrived on time for departure, which it would become apparent, was a couple of hours later than the majority, as we queued, and queued, and queued, before being issued with the cruise equivalent of a credit card (all transactions on the ship are cash-less) and making our way onto the behemoth ship (110,000 tonnes, 290 metres long and with a combined crew and passenger capacity of over 4,000 persons).

Once aboard, we made our way to the first of many buffets available to us three times a day, every day. Eating is a massive part of the cruise it seems, and whilst the buffet offered food as good as I had seen in any buffet previously, it was only the tip of the iceberg, if you will, in regards to the amazing food on offer in the restaurant everynight. From haute cuisine such as lobster, frogs legs and escargot, to the more accessible fillet mignon, roasts, grilled chicken and every pasta imaginable, the ships dining offerred a level of decadence and induced drool to a level matched by any restaurant I'd ever been to, and best of all, it was free.

And that's the beauty of the cruise. Besides alcohol, any gratuity, and (optional) excursions ashore, practically everything is incuded. A health club to rival any back home, performances from stand up comedians (a bit hit and miss, but generally quite good), and the aforementioned cuisine were but some of what was on offer.

Our first port of call was Cozumel in Mexico. After escaping the slight tourist trap that surrounded the port (think Hillarys Boat Harbour), we were walking up and down the streets of 'regular' Cozumel. The juxtaposition of much more modest housing against the more lavish tourist areas was extremely noticeable, giving an insight into how important the tourist dollar is to Cozumel. I consoled my ill-thought out purchase of a sombrero (how the hell did I think I would fit that in my bag?) with a beer overlooking the ocean, made all the more enjoyable by FINALLY getting to say 'dos cervesa por favor' (two beers please).

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

The next day we stopped in the Central American country of Belize. A thirty minute boat trip and we were at Ghost Quay Island. If you close your eyes, and picture your stereotypical deserted tropical island, you'll probably picture something similar to Ghost Quay Island. White sand, a handful of palm trees, and no more than 50 metres in diameter, the island was surrounded by turquoise blue water, with a rickety jetty, tiny shack and portable toilet the only manmade additions. With snorkel gear in hand, we headed about 50 metres off shore to the reef, before swimming amongst amazing sea flora and fauna.

Belize

Belize

Belize

After a day spent doing little more than swimming on the beach in Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras, we were in the Cayman Islands, home to some of the worlds dodgiest bank accounts, and home to yet again some amazing tropical beaches. Going through an independent operator (much cheaper than going through the cruise), we got a lift out to Stingray City, where we spent a couple of hours swimming, holding, patting and even kissing (it was very weird) stingrays and snorkelling amongst even more amazing sea life. Post swimming with rays, we ended up catching some rays (ha!), as we chilled out on the catamaran's hammocks on our way back to shore. If it were ever possible to take a holiday during a holiday, this cruise was it.

Roatan, Honduras

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Miami

After a four hour bus ride between Orlando and Miami, we arrived to a very warm and cloudy Miami, making our way to the very Miami-esque named Bikini Hostel. For whatever reason, they couldn't put us all in the same dormitory, but before we had the opportunity to mention to them that we weren't bothered about being split up, they upgraded us to a Deluxe King Apartment. Not a bad start.

We'd opted to stay in South Beach, which is undoubtedly one of the best beach/tourist scenes in we've come across this trip. I have no doubt the place is usually teeming with tourists, but due to our September arrival (it's officially 'Fall' here now, and school/college has resumed), the crowds have distinctively died down. An amble along Ocean Drive and a walk along the impressively pristine beach itself was all the more enjoyable by not having to avoid swathes of tourists as we had done a couple of months ago in the very crowded (albeit entertaining) Venice Beach.

With palm trees, art deco buildings and neon lights lining the streets, the general look of South Beach still feels very Miami Vice orientated (or Grand Theft Auto IV).With several days of what was perhaps one of the most relaxing periods on our holiday, soaking up the Florida rays, swimming at the beach and in our hotel pool, playing table tennis and pool, we're leaving Miami for a week thoroughly recharged and acclimatized to our next adventure - a week long cruise through the Carribean.

Orlando

After a casual week in Nashville our attitude towards booking onward travelling followed suit, as we left it to the last minute, and were unable to book a sub-$400 (!) flight for the day we had intended to leave. With the benefit of staying at Rob's house, we booked our flight for a day later, which was still much more expensive than it should have been. In addition to paying more than we had planned, we also had to endure the dreaded extremely early morning (in this case, 4am) taxi flight to catch an extremely early flight. Our Nashville body-clock schedule didn't help the situation, as we ended up with less than an hour or two of sleep before we were on our way to the airport.

A flight in the opposite direction to Houston, a three hour layover, and a further flight, and we were Orlando waiting for our bags. And waiting. You know how every time you wait a while for your bags, and time seems to drag on, as you become increasingly frustrated? Then the thought pops into your head that maybe your bags won't arrive? 'That won't happen to me', you say. Well, it did.

After seeing the same bags come around a couple of times, and mine not arriving, I made my way over to the baggage counter to find out my bags were on their way.... from another state. Washington, or Texas, I couldn't tell you, I just know it wasn in another state, and more importantly, where it shouldn't have been. It'll be dropped off at 8pm, I was told. At 3pm, this prospect isn't so bad, but when it eventually arrives at 2:30am, it's safe to say it's a little worse. Thanks, United Airlines, for ensuring I never fly with you again.

Annoying transport issues aside, Orlando had some of the most enjoyable weather thus far. The humid heat of the mid-east had become a much dryer heat, reminscent of a day in the late spring of Australia. We made our way from our bargain bin priced hotel (half the price of some of the hostels we'd paid for a month or two earlier -thank-you shoulder season pricing), passing under blue skies and palm trees, to 'Islands of Adventure', one half of the sprawling Universal Studios resort.

The recreated Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, key locations in the Harry Potter Series were a 'magical' start to the day, as the extremely detail and extravagant trips, rides and buildings gave a brilliant Harry Potter experience. As a side note, chocolate milk and energy drinks do not combine well as a breakfast option prior to riding rollercoasters.

An amazing day of rollercoasters, water rides and perhaps some of the best theme park food ever (the award winning Mythos Restaurant), was topped off by a cheeky 18 holes of mini golf. As for the result, well, it doesn't really matter who won or lost, but I will say that we all had a good time.

A week in Music City

Nashville provided us with our first insight into the true south, and we weren't disappointed. From the cowboys walking around the airport (I'm not even kidding), to the extremely endearing southern accents (think a less irritating Jessica Simpson), to our first taste of amazing southern fried chicken (definitely spicy, definitely unhealthy, but so tasty).

Downtown (read: touristy) Nashville was as one would expect - plenty of bars with country music blaring out the door, plenty of buskers trying to get their big break, and a plentiful amount of stores selling Elvis memorabilia as well as cowboy hats and boots. As a whole, Nashville was not without its charm, and every person we met came across as the most laid back and friendly people we had met all trip.

Much of our time in Nashville involved relaxing at our friend Rob's house and tagging along to the various Lacey media appearances, recording sessions, film clip filmings and concerts. A small gig on our first night in a venue called the Basement provided us with a glimpse of the musical talent in this city (of a non-country nature, at that). A dance/club night on the Friday gave me my first glimpse into the world of event photography, which I've heard before is like herding cattle, a reference which I now  understand.

Lacey's performance on college radio

Lacey video clip shoot

Lacey

Lacey

Lacey

Lacey

Washington DC

The bus journey to Washington was extremely event free, mainly because I napped most of it and, much to Mike's annoyance, kept leaning on his shoulder whilst doing so. DC was also a super short stay, we were there for less than 48 hours. Thankfully, all the usual sites were within a close proximity to another, so we managed to hit them all up in a short period of time.

The White House

Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument

Lincoln and WW2 Memorials

The whole time I was at the Lincoln memorial I just kept thinking about Forrest Gump's speech, and at the White House I kept thinking about Independence Day. Clearly the 1990's was a pivotal movie watching stage in my life. The Holocaust Museum was far and away the most eye opening and interesting of the free (thank you Smithsonian Institution) museums we visited, and has made me even more excited about heading to Poland and Germany in the next couple of months.

Natural History Museum

Capitol Hill and National Mall

Stupidly I booked my flight out of Baltimore (much cheaper than DC, and about 45 minutes away) at 6:30am the next morning, so starting at 3:00am, I was on my way to the airport, firstly via taxi, then train, then bus. A delayed flight was only more irritable on a couple of hours sleep, as my plane was diverted to go via Atlanta to Nashville, instead of Cincinnati, but I eventually got into Nashville about 10:00am, ready to get acquainted with the South.

It's always (cheese steak time) in Philadelphia

As amazing as New York had been, after nine days I was enthusiastic about moving on to a new city. That city being Philadelphia. Home of Rocky, tv show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia  and uh... some other things I'd brush up on during the two and a half hour bus drive from New York. The same bus ride that we arrived for a little too close for comfort for departure time, but that's another story (it's really not interesting).

Upon arrival in Philly, and dropping our stuff off, we set off on a mission to indulge in one of the city's greatest delicacies. The Philadelphia Cheese Steak. We ended up on South Street at Jim's Steak, reputably the place to get the best cheese steak sandwiches in the city, and in turn, the world. After ordering and 'American wit peppers n onion', Mike and I were transported to food heaven, as the combination of melted cheese, soft bun, grilled onions and peppers, with the sliced and diced steak combined for an amazing taste experience.

Magic Garden, South Street

After a detour to a more historical cultural experience (The Liberty Bell), Mike and myself headed to 'Mac's Bar' - a bar opened up by one of the stars of  the aforementioned 'It's Always Sunny..' before heading back to the quaint little apartment we're staying at for the next couple of nights, to plan for a massive following day, and more importantly, play with the kittens Hannah, our couchsurfing host was looking after.

With only one whole day in Philly, we were up and out early, although I did managed to sneak in yet another bagel with cream cheese (amazing things, they are). First item on the agenda, was the iconic Rocky Steps, or the steps to the Philadelphia Art Musem. After running, jumping, posing and all manner of activity, we headed down Benjamin Franklin Parkway (the main road that stretches from the Art Museum all the way to City Hall), checking out the Franklin Institute and 'Love Park' before arriving at the extravagant and impressive City Hall.

Rocky Steps, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Love Park

Rocky Statue, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Eastern State Penitentiary, built in 1829 and closed in 1971, lays claim to being the worlds first penitentiary and housed inmates such as the infamous Al Capone. Now in a state of semi-ruin, it was an amazing insight into prison life, and as we wondered through the walls of the prison, I was extremely thankful that the organisation looking after the prison had opted not to restore it, as if often the case. If I never have to hear the phrase "This is a reproduction of just how it looked 200 years ago", it will be too soon. The peeling paint, collapsing and crumbling walls, and musty damp odour that accompanied many of the corridors was much better to look at, and much more interesting that a 21st century reproduction of an 19th century building.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary 

Al Capone's room Eastern State Penitentiary (the only real 'reconstruction')

Eastern State Penitentiary 

Eastern State Penitentiary 

 After a lazy evening stroll through Fairmount Park we indulged once more in Philly's greatest export - the cheese steak sandwich. Tired and full, we retreated back to Hannah's house to indulge in some great Trappist ales before getting our belongings ready for our trip to the nation's capital the next morning. As short and sweet as our stay in Philly was, I definitely found it to be  city I'd like to go back and spend more time in one day.

Boathouse Row

Fairmount Park