My first cruise - Ensenada, Mexico

Back in March of 2009, I had some time off I need to use before our fiscal year changed and I was dying for a vacation.  Luckily, it wasn't too difficult to convince my brother and sister-in-law to help me use those days up.  They had recently been on a cruise and loved it so much they talked me into one.  We all flew out to Los Angeles where we boarded the Carnival Paradise for a long weekend cruise to Ensenada, Mexico - so fun!!

There's not much better than towel frogs and swan ice cream, right?

Jordan and Jen were quick to show me the ropes on my first cruise.  I learned all about mustard stations and dressing up for dinners.  We didn't have too much time for fun in the sun given the length of the cruise, but I did manage to find some time to catch a few rays get sunburned. 

Windiest mini-golf I've ever played!!

I was SO excited when we spotted the whale.  Super cool!!

Our table at dinner always proved interesting.  We had a lot of fun getting to know Steve, Carrie, and Annie - interesting crew!  They kept us entertained each night for sure!

Once we docked in Ensenada, we headed out on our La Bufadora (The Blowhole) excursion.  The streets lining the path over to la bufadora were filled with vendors selling all kinds of interesting trinkets and souvenirs.  I had fun bartering with them.  I came away with a couple of fun things - a set of see no, hear no, speak no set of three monkeys (that I love) and a small sling purse (that I don't believe I ever used).  It was a fun experience bargaining with the vendors.  The blowhole itself is one of the largest geysers in North America.  It was really cool to watch it "explode" every few minutes.  It was difficult to really capture it's essence, but that didn't stop us from trying to get the perfect picture!

Jordan bought churros for us to try.  I was brave enough to order a taco at one of the local restaurants.

We also stopped by the town hall (top right in picture collage above) as a part of our tour.  I remember buying the most brilliant little bottle cap paintings from a lady in the courtyard there.  I brought one back for a handful of people.  So neat and unique. 

One of the most heart wrenching parts of the trip were the young children that would run up to you and follow you begging for "one dollar" and selling chicklets and other inexpensive candies.  It was really sad to see children in this role.

When our cruise ended, we made the most of our day in Los Angeles before heading back east.  Probably our most memorable moment happened as we were purchasing tickets for the highlights of LA tour - Jen was mistaken for me and Jordan's child.  Too funny!!  The man behind the ticket counter said "2 adults, 1 child".  Jordan and I just looked at each other like "what? where's the child?" and then it hit us...and we cracked up!!  Needless to say, that tour started off with a bang :)

Top L to R: Kodak Theatre (where Oscars take place), inside Kodak Theater, Capitol Records, Hollywood sign  Bottom L to R: Spielberg's mansion, Hotel Roosevelt, In-N-Out burger (really liked it), TCL Chinese Theater

 We had a great time together just relaxing and enjoying the adventures of the weekend.

Do you enjoy cruises?  What do you like and/or dislike?

Linking up with Helene for Travel Tuesdays.

Andrea :)