I have been trying to think of the best way to sum up the past few days I spent on a Carnival Cruise to Ensenada Mexico, and the one word I could come up with was…unexpected. First I should explain that the group I came with was from my Young Single Adults ward in Provo. There were 72 of us! I think whenever you get 72 young single Mormons in a group on international waters there is bound to be some wild times, and indeed there were! There was Vegas-style shows of the 1950’s variety, dancing on tables, parties of all sorts, and of course Karaoke ‘til the wee morning hours.
We spent our days enjoying the sun by sitting on the Lido deck (or as we fondly began calling it “the libido/Speedo deck”). Generally it was just a little too chilly and windy to really hang out in the pool, and the hot tubs were too full. So we napped and sun bathed to our hearts content.
We did have one day on shore that was quite enjoyable! We made port in Ensenada at 6am and were allowed to go ashore whenever we wanted. My roommate Kristen and I had a nice relaxing morning and went inland at about 10am. We promptly found some people from our own group and we all decided to go see the famous Ensenada Blow Hole. Apparently there are only 3 in the world and this is the largest of those 3. We had an hour bus ride to get to the spot, and our tour guide was less than enthusiastic at the prospect of taking a bunch of Americans to see this famous spot, so the whole bus ride up we enjoyed a running commentary with statements such as “see that hill over there? It has a path on it that veers slightly to the left.” And that was all she had to say about the hill. I can now tell you that not only does Ensenada have hills with paths that veer, but that children like to play soccer, and sometimes houses in Mexico are painted blue.
Once we arrived at the Blow Hole we were accosted by hundreds of street vendors wanting us to buy everything from fake turquoise rings to hand painted pictures of 2pac. As we neared the Blow Hole the suspense was rising at the prospect of seeing this amazing sight! We peered over the edge of the cliff and saw some slightly damp rocks; then the wave came in and a splash about 10 feet high came into the air. I suppose the Blow Hole might be more spectacular if there were bigger waves, but after having seen this grand sight I can honestly say those Mexicans are a clever bunch! They successfully convinced a bunch of tourists to come see some waves, and not only that but to pay $15 each to see it. All in all it was a wonderful day, and I got to see sights I never would have seen otherwise and had an adventure in the process!
With all our fun day activities the nights were really the best part of the cruise! Every night we had a nice formal-ish dinner with our friends from the ward. We had the same waiter every night and he was awesome! One night we were playing “would you rather” and the question came up “would you rather eternally have a midget on your back or eternally have one wet foot?” We asked our waiter, Henry, the question and his reply was that he would prefer the midget- because you can’t go to a party with a wet foot!
After dinner there were always shows to see and dance clubs to visit. They had piano bars and Jazz clubs, karaoke, and dance competitions. There was plenty to see and do to keep busy, and with the group we hung out with it was always very entertaining! With everything that was going on it was honestly one of the best trips I have ever had!
