To Hell And Back

  A few years ago we took my mother on a cruise. We made it for mid February so she could get out of the snow and cold of western New York. Needless to say we had a blast and compiled many memories that will keep smiles on our faces for quite some time.

  We set sail on a Norwegian Cruise Liner from Charleston, South Carolina and headed toward the warm sun and fun of the Cayman Islands. I knew it would be a good trip when we started the process of boarding and the ticket agent points to another woman and says, “You need to see that woman. Her name is Balkys. She’ll be your concierge.” We all looked to each other with raised eyebrows.

Apparently that upgrade included things we weren't aware of! Good things. J It included staying in one of the better rooms on the ship, drinks with the Captain (I don’t know if this is really a good thing or not,) and the great chance to be one of the first to exit the ship when we tendered somewhere. JJ That alone made this cruise a great one!

  We hit Cayman and everyone was ecstatic to get off the boat. I think it was two days we were at sea with no stops. Pulling into port I quickly realized I would love the island. I watched fish swimming happily along in the crystal blue waters. When our feet hit land I noticed the streets were immaculate. There was not a piece of trash anywhere but in trash cans. The people were friendly and beautiful flowers were blooming. First we hit a turtle farm, where I got to hold and pet a beautiful sea turtle. Personally I love turtles to no end. I just think they are an adorable creature. I inhaled the other native wildlife the farm had to offer and left with a smile on my face.

  After that the next stop on our tour was Seven Mile Beach. The white sand and clear blue water was simply breath taking. I must say to see beach as far as the eye can see is one of the most mind clearing, stress reducing sights I have ever experienced. It kind of makes one forget about everything else going on. The crashing waves are mesmerizing and tempt one to get a physical taste. It was all I could do not to dive in, but we only had a few minutes.

  We climbed back onto the small bus and headed to our next destination, Hell. That’s right. If there is a place in the world named Hell you better bet ya Kelly will find it! J Hell is one of the most unique places you could ever see. It is about the size of half a soccer field, and is made of small, short, black limestone formations. It reminded us of burnt stones, and was a really neat experience. And did you know that Hell even has a post office? We purchased post cards that had a picture of the limestone field and stated, “We've been to Hell and back!” Of course we had to do the cheesy tourist thing and buy them!

  Now we did hit Cozumel, Mexico, and Key West, Florida as well, but I might save those stories for another blog.

  What do you do if the weather gets you down? Have you ever taken a cruise? Where is the best place you have vacationed? Ever been to Hell? J