Unbelievable excursion in Belize

This morning we got up very early (06.00 AM) to participate in a jugle/safari ride with Landrovers. A cruiseline can not get to the port in Belize due to huge coral reefs that prevents a large vessel to enter the port. Instead, the cruiseline has a continous feed of small boats going between the ship and the mainland.

Our trip took us with a speedboat to the coast and long into the jungle in a beautiful river. After one hour ride we arrived to a place in the jungle with 7 Landrovers and I could not believe it but I got to be the driver in my Landrover. The roads were rough and we drove several miles in a mudroad in the middle of the jungle and I have to admit that there were places where even I was a little scared. People in my Landrover had full trust in my driving skills.... Good for them....

After an hour and half we arrived to a camp with people working on our lunch, and that is when we got to take a long hike to very deep caves where Mayas had also used as shelter for hurricanes as well as moving between to sides of a mountain. We run into bats, more bats, very low celings and it was hot but at the very same time amazing.

After the caves we had lunch (chicken stu) with rice and salad... Very good and very nice. The lunc ended up with some punsch and a ride to Belize City in a jungle bus. That trip took around one hour and we got to shop at the pier.

Belize is part of British Commonwealth and have been independent country for quite a while. It is a pretty poor country, but with lots of opportunities. I was impressed with the people and their hospitality.

Interesting day in Cozumel, Mexico

We took an excursion of Cozumel today. We left around 10.00 AM with a group of people and there were three main stops during the way. First of all, we learnt lots of the history of Cozumel.... we got to visit the small city where everything was spun off and we got to see the nesting place for giant turtles and this area is regarded as a sanctuary and does not therefore have any electricity or other similar things.... Beautiful area and the color of the sea is amazing. I do not think the sea looks the same around the islands such as St Thomas, Curacao or Puerto Rico.

Tonight we are sailing towards Belize where we will have a trip to the rain forests and some old Maya ruins.

We are sailing towards Cozumel, Mexico

We just departed Cayman Islands (south of Cuba) and are on our way to the island of Cozumel in Mexico. I have not been there before, so it is exciting to get to see what it has to offer. The ship will be in Cozumel in the early morning.

First stop Georgetown, Grand Cayman- swimming with stingrays

Our ship arrived early in the morning to Grand Cayman and due to coral reefs, the cruiseliner could not approch the harbour so we had to be taken to the port with smaller boats.

We visited giant turtle park, a place called Hell (seriously) and finally we got to swim with stingrays. Awesome experience, nothing I had done before. The cruiseline "Carnival Legend" is fabolous and in fact built in Helsinki, Finland. Very, very good experience, with large balconies and this makes the trip awesome.

From Tampa to Grand Cayman Islands

The flight from Dallas Fort Worth was uneventful. Business class on American Airlines works like a cjarm and the international airport in Tampa works well, has lots of services and is clean and tidy. The cab drive from airport to Port 2 was 20 minutes and cost us 35 bucks. The cruise line did a good job of getting us on board and so far I am very happy camper. The cruise will take us to the first island with a full day at the sea first. I can relax at the two-level gym tomorrow!

Tampa, Florida in our site

Morning wake-ups are brutal. 3.50 AM so we can make our plane to Tampa. There is a weather advisry today in Dallas, the heat index is 107 Fahrenheit which is brutal. It is going to be interseting to see how Tampa is today.

IAMCP Golf Tournament in Houston, Texas

I had the pleasure to participate in a golf tournament at Wildcat Golf Club, Houston. The course was interesting, not specifically demanding and we had fun. The golf course has spectacular views over Houston surroundings. I do recommend to visit this golf course.

Driving to Houston on I-45 can be boring

I decided to drive down to Houston for Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2008 (WPC 2008) and it is around 300 miles from my house. The route is simple. First 114 to west from Trophy Club, then down to Houston on I-45 that is extremly boring and takes around 5 hours with a couple of stops. Just before Houston, I decided to have lunch at an IHOP (International House of Pancakes) and they have one of the best omelettes one can get (Big Steak Omelette)