The Way to BAHAMAS

             

Enchanting Bahamas is my 1st stop which is not a Norwegian Star regular route, (Voyage 13101021) Jillian Michaels, a health guru rented the ship for a 4-day wellness cruise that will have the participants of the reality show “The Big Loser” onboard. For the 1st time, Norwegian Star is going to Bahamas’ two known ports - Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. Also, 1st time in history that the galley will prepare only “healthy food”. No ice creams, no desserts, no fatty salty foods for the journey. Diet that we definitely did not look forward to. 

Great Stirrup Cay A privately owned beach by NCL was the 1st stop for the wellness cruise. Coco Cay is a white sand beach accessible only by tendering. Jetski, Parasailing and scuba diving were the favorite activities in the island. As for the medical staff, sitting inside the improvise medical center was our activity in Coco Cay. Don’t forget your sunscreen as it is really hot in Coco Cay.

Nassau This is my favorite stop. Of course, there is nothing more precious than the time we spent with our friends. In Nassau, I was able to catch up with my long time friend, Dr. Noriel, who is also the one who convinced me to try the sea-based life. This is the only time our ships will be side-by-side in a port and we did not let it pass. A quick tour of Norwegian Sky’s medical center was done by Noriel and Dianne. Sky has a bigger medical center than Star. We had only a couple of hours to spend with each other as their ship is leaving at 4PM. Since Noriel is on-call, it was I who went to their ship. He also showed me the big balikbayan box he is filling up for his little boy. Surely, Earl will be very happy.

Dallas

Still 1,119 miles away from my destination, about 2 days of road trip or more than 2 hours of plane ride, but have to stay for a while in Dallas, Texas.  In the 3rd leg of my trip on my way to my home away from home. 

2 hours and 55 minutes after I left Los Angeles via American Airlines, I reached Dallas, Texas. Dallas is the 3rd largest city in Texas and the 9th largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area is the largest metropolitan area in the South and 4th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Dallas is a young city with effigies of modern architecture rising like glass trees out of the downtown area.

In history, the city will always be remembered for  the incident that happened in November 22, 1963 when President J F Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas. Today, it is known as a mecca for dining, shopping, arts, entertainment and large scale developments. 

My 1st stop during my Dallas stay, of course, where else but Starbucks. Enjoyed a Java Chip Frappe to energized me since it is almost midnight when I arrived. Took advantage of the wifi and got in touch with my family and friends. Aso, I sent an e-mail to my would-be partner in the medical department to tell him I have arrived safely in the United States.

Java chip did a good job in keeping me awake. I roam around and kept myself busy. Walked and walked, smelled some fresh breeze, enjoyed the sights, ate some M and M and bought some souvenirs. I was so tempted to buy a Starbucks City mug. However, there is no more room in my luggage and come to think of it, I have to take care of the mug for months just to give it to my sister-in-law who collects Starbucks city mugs. Thinking that I'll be staying in a cruise ship made me think of big waves and the possibility of  the mug getting broken. So, after weighing the pros and cons, I did not.

More than 5 hours in Dallas seemed very long since I was very eager to reach Miami. Well, I have been travelling for almost 24 hours and I am so looking forward to press my back on a very comfy bed. Sleeping during flights is still different from sleeping soundly in a bed. When boarding time arrived, i was curious why people were gathering around a certain group of people with their camera phones snapping pictures. And then, I discovered that the reason was our flight to Miami includes Bonalzo Mike Dogg Jr. better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, an American rapper, record producer, actor and entertainer.