Day 220 - And There He Is!!!

Why do mornings always come so soon? I never get enough sleep! Unless I go to bed at 9 or something! I was nice & toasty under the covers, so I wasn't excited to get out! However, Karen & Werner have in-floor heating in the bathroom downstairs, so my tootsies were toastie if nothing else!!! I regret not taking a photo of their bathroom! It looks so awesome! Next time!!! 


The shower even has a corner cupboard to keep shampoos, soaps, etc. What a clever idea! The soap doesn't get soggy that way! And they have a smart flush toilet. I remember I saw my first water saving toilet in Australia. Another ingenious idea. Why doesn't Canada have these toilets EVERYWHERE!


Anyhow, finally out of the loo & ready for the day, I packed up the rest of my stuff, including my hard drive that Werner so wonderfully loaded with movies & shows! Yay! (More Big Bang Theory!)


We hit the road & headed for downtown Victoria. We were stopping at the grocery store for a few items I wanted for the ship & then to Booster Juice for a smoothie. Thank you for the Canadian Colada, btw! Stinkers!


We headed for the ship, but our route was slightly altered. Apparently there was a bike race in town today. No biggie. My heart started to race a little when I couldn't see the ship. I had fleeting moments of panic. Did I get the day wrong? Was he here yesterday? I hadn't checked my emails! What if I missed him!? And then, there it was! I could breathe a sigh of relief! It was the right day & my baby was just a few moments away! Yippee!


Werner parked in his usual spot - they've visited the pier many times before! Either to visit his brother, Nico, or Nico's girlfriend, Talia, or dropping me off to see Jaco... We all hugged goodbye & I told them I'd see them in a few days when the ship was back. They watched from the pier until I'd made it onto the ship. (See photo below & try to find them!) :o) 


Of course, everyone was more concerned about Valentina & her whereabouts than they were me. The disappointment in their eyes when I told them she was at home for training!  Once onboard, I couldn't find Jaco! The paging system wasn't working & he didn't answer his door! He had told me a few days before that he might try & go ashore, but the A-Pass system said he was still onboard. 


Finally he answered his phone. He'd been in the shower! Oh, it was so good to see him again! I swear he gets more & more handsome each time I see him! We had a wonderful visit for the afternoon & then it was clinic time for him. He was VERY busy this cruise & there was no end in sight! I ventured upstairs to find Eddie. 


Oh he has quite the dramas... Apparently US Customs & Border Patrol decided to pick on him when the ship was in San Francisco last. There were a few Argentinian crew members on a completely different cruise line that jumped ship in San Francisco a week or so ago. CBP decided to make ALL Argentinian crew stay onboard for an unknown period of time. Because if all my friends jumped off the bridge, I would too. Oh the lack of common sense drives me batty! To make matters worse, Canadian CBP held him onboard today in Victoria. Why? Because the US CBP told them to! Ridiculous! Hopefully he'll get his I-95 back soon. It sucks to be stuck onboard & he has some good friends in Alaska that he enjoys meeting up with.


I also ventured down to the shops & to my surprise, Maria, a shoppie from Portugal was there! She had joined the day I left in Florida & I knew her from the Dawn Princess a couple years back. We had a great visit & she's been to some amazing places since I saw her last! She was telling me about CAT sized RATS in China. I still shudder at the thought of it! Yuck!


Of course, I saw Daniela. She was so sad when I told her I didn't bring Valentina. Valentina loved her so much. Every time I would go back to the cabin with Valentina, she's smell like J'Adore, Daniela's perfume. And she LOVED Daniela's cuddles! Daniela was heading home to Macedonia in a few days time. She was VERY excited to be finishing up her contract. I know that feeling!!


Jaco was busy with work & I was happy when he finally finished up & we were able to spend a little time together. I told him I'd help him tomorrow with whatever I could... At least that way I could see him - hopefully! He's a hard workin' man these days!


Sleep well & see you at sea!
xxxxx
Maria & Jaco

Can you see Karen & Werner? Thanks for a great time guys!

My hubby, hard at work!

Eddie, 'grounded' at sea

Busy moments at the bar. Can you see the orange elbow on the right hand side? This horribly annoying little kid & his non-disciplining Mom came by for a coke & coffee. The kid couldn't whistle to get Eddie's attention, so instead he squealed. Loudly. High-pitched. One more whistled & he was going to walk the plank!!! :o)

Day 170 - Seaport Village

Today we were all finished up quite early. The shuttles came to pick us up & much to our surprise, the border crossing was ridiculously busy! So Mario & Julian decided we would go to the Otay border crossing. I had never been there before, so I quite enjoyed the scenic route through the real Tijuana to Otay. The Customs officers have a reputation for being a lot stricter than at Tijuana. They were. They didn't give us any hassles, thank goodness! 


Once we were finally back home, I decided to go to Seaport Village. Valentina & I took the trolleys & made our way back. It brought back many memories of Halloween & all the comments, photos & finger pointing we got as Hot Dog with Ketchup & a Bottle of Mustard. 


It was quite busy, so a kept Valentina on a very short leash. She trotted alongside me, proud as punch. And the further we walked, the prouder I got! Everyone was commenting on Valentina. 'What a cute dog!' 'Mommy, look at the wiener dog!' 'Oh, look at the little Dachshund!' I was so proud of my little girl, who just trots along, happy as can be. 


She posed for a few photos & we eventually found our way to the pet shop. Last time I was there, the lady who ran the shop had cancer. I was quite anxious to know how she made out. To my delight, she was there! She's finished her chemo & just got her 'remission statement' - AWESOME news! We visited for quite some time, interrupted by a random man who claimed to be a dog behaviour specialist, but mainly wanted to know my life history. Creepy. Anyhow, we finished chatting & exchanged email addresses. I can't wait until I can return with my Remission Statement! Oh, she also told me that just the other day, someone came in & saw a photo she has of a wiener dog in the same costume as Valentina's. The person said they saw that dog with the bottle of mustard at Halloween. 5 months later & they're still talking about us! Too funny!!!


Valentina & I walked to the Convention Centre & then ended up walking through the Gaslamp Quarter. I'd never been through there, so away we went. I stopped in at Fred's to have some tacos - they were awesome! I haven't eaten much Mexican food since I've been here, so it was a wonderful change! After I finished the tacos, we walked up to the trolley station & made our way home. I was so beat! That was a lot of walking!


What to do tomorrow? Hmm, we'll see what the day brings! Sleep well & see you soon!
xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Just outside the Customs area - where it's now safe to take a photo without getting arrested!

Mario picking us up at Otay Crossing

Because I ALWAYS leave my tea bags hanging from a chain?!??

It was the Busker Festival this weekend, so it was quite busy!

Looking wistfully out to sea.

Poser. 

Stairs & Statue

Trees.

My Buddy & me.

Convention Centre Architecture

Gaslamp Quater entrance

2 Fish Tacos sin Tomatoes!

Famous Fred's!

Day 163 - Short Day!

This morning I was ready for the shuttle & waiting. Valentina was charming the other people waiting. Mama is proud! The Hotel Manager came out to tell us that the shuttle would be about 1/2 an hour late. There was a bus in front of them that was filled with drugs! Needless to say, they were on 'super search' mode after that! 


We arrived at the clinic at 1000, instead of our usual 0900. I was finally at the top of the list, so I didn't have to wait long! By 1130, we were all finished & heading towards the border. Unbelievably there wasn't a line! We were back at the hotel by 1159! That's a world record! It usually takes at the least, one hour! Awesome! 


I did get my 3/4 eaten apple confiscated by the Customs official. He was a real jerk. The previous 2 officials said it wouldn't be an issue - nobody would want my mostly eaten apple. In fact, the official who checked my passport, I could hardly speak to him & I looked like a chipmunk with my cheeks stuffed! I had maybe 3 big bites left & when I approached the conveyor belt to scan my bag, the official called me over. I thought he wanted the dog bag on the table.
'Put you apple on the table.'
I take another bite & ask him, 'Did you want to see the dog?'
'Put your apple on the table.'
'Sure, can I just have one more bite? I'm almost finished it.'
'Lady, you're not listening to me! Put the apple on the table!'
'No problem, just one more...'
He grabs the apple right out of my hand! 


Are you kidding me???!!! I can't even have the last few bites of an apple I bought in the USA???!!! This guy is a jerk! What a fruit Nazi! Never mind the kilo of cocaine in the bottom of my dog's bag - take the apple! ARGH! The Customs guys & girls get me fired up! Every time I get worked up & I've left the situation, I remember the sign they have in the building - something about treating you with respect & courtesy. HA! Joke!


Anyhow, I forgot about the Apple Nazi when I realized I was back to the hotel by 1200! I had switched rooms this morning, so I spent the afternoon unpacking & settling in. I was happy to be on the 2nd floor & away from the stairs. It was too noisy! I was a little disgruntled when they wouldn't let me change last night. I went in at 1400 & they were going to charge me for 2 rooms because they'd already cleaned my room! Then they wanted me to pack up & switch before I went to the clinic at 0900! I'd be nice & sweaty after carrying all the luggage up the stairs. In the end, I packed up most of my things, put them in storage overnight & in the morning, I took the bits & pieces up to the new room. 


I decided not to go anywhere. I thought I'd spend some time just relaxing & not running around. I ended up watching a few episodes of CSI, which was lovely & gory, but I do love that show! 


Sweet dreams!
Valentina & Maria
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Mama's Helper while Mama unpacks!

This looks like a great place to rest!

Roses in front of the hotel

They smell so wonderful!

Bees like them too!