Mar 2014 – Mar 2014

Nobody else in sight.  That’s probably a sign we should have stayed in bed.  The clock does not really say 6:10 AM does it?!

The cacti are plentiful in Arizona.  I’d never seen cacti before, so we pulled over onto a dirt path on the side of the road to check them out.  I kind of dig it.

Only afterwards did I think about the fact that Nicholas didn’t have his AAA memebership reactivated and that if we’d busted a tire driving on those rocky dirt paths on some remote leg of the freeway out of cellphone reception that things would have been mightily inconvenient.

But that didn’t happen so all is good.

Eastward still!

Is Yuma, Arizona.  And San Pedro de Atacama, Chile is the driest place on earth.  And I’ve now been to both.  Nailed it.

I learned about this city from Nicholas.  It was along our route so we decided to stop in and check out their old prison.  Why not?

Nicholas promised to play Red Dead Redemption with me once we’re back home, since it features Yuma.

Onwards!

Cruise is over.  Time to get off the boat, into the car, and across the US of A we go!

My best bear bud could have been a star.  But he blew it.

Holland America has some partnership with Dancing with the Stars to do Dancing with the Stars at Sea, where they teach you a routine and you compete to win.

So we went.  And Nick and Pokin learned the foxtrot.  They didn’t hurt each other, and were even chosen by the judges to compete.

And then they wussed out.

So I lost my one and only chance to say my best bear bud was a minor celebrity on a cruise. Weak.

Instead we ended up just sitting in the front row to watch the finalists instead.

Not good enough, bear bud.  Show some courage next time.  I would have danced in a flash if they only had partner dancers my size!

What would a Mexico cruise be without a mariachi band?

Naturally I befriend them too.

Look what I found hanging on the cruise ship walls!

Now where’s the mayonessa?

I guess Nick got word of my unhappiness over being left behind so on formal night he took me with him as a date.

See that wasn’t so bad.  I’m a very cultured and well behaved bear.

I made him also get me ice cream afterwards for a good measure.

Agung and Martin made me towel buddies every night.  How nice.  I guess they thought I needed the company since Nick and Pokin LEFT me in the room ALONE every night when they had dinner. Four course meals.  Without me.  I ate their bedtime pillow chocolates in revenge.  That’s right.

Well at least I have towel buddies.

New day, new port.  Hola Puerto Vallarta.

I don’t know what I expected of this place aside from beaches and beach resorts.

Resorts: Check.

Beaches: Check.

Well I got all that.  And Walmart.

Apparently Walmart is a popular named bus stop route in Puerto Vallarta.  It’s a BIG DEAL.  So many buses stop there.  And it’s the go-to place for people aboard the cruise ship to stock up on Doritos.  So many people came out of that Walmart with Doritos. Almost makes me want some.

Aren’t we lucky the Walmart was right across from where our boat was docked?