Great Stirrup Cay

"Snorkel Time" Great Stirrup Cay, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO200
“Snorkel Time” Great Stirrup Cay, 2016

Hello!! Today we spent the day at the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ private island, Great Stirrup Cay. As you can see from the photos, we had beautiful weather and the water was warm and clear. When we first arrived on the island, I feared that it would be too crowded but it was actually quite nice! There were plenty of beach chairs for everyone, although there could have been a bit more shade. 🌴😎☀️

Being an exclusively NCL island meant that all the included amenities from the ship were also available on the island, most importantly the bar and the food! I got a nice plate of jerk chicken (not spicy enough for my tastes), bbq ribs, and rice & peas. It was pretty good! And I washed it down with a Piña Colada or two. 🍹

The swimming was very nice as well. It wasn’t too deep although deep enough that there were fish 🐠 to see and even a sea turtle 🐢 (which I didn’t see but my brother told me about). I enjoyed just floating around in the water and getting some exercise in.

Also, there were two Pokéstops I visited, and my brother took over the Pokégym! So there was that. 😃

At about 3 PM, my mom and I took the tender (shuttle boat) back to the ship, and then we attended the second family get-together at the lounge. We listened to more stories of the family in Jamaica, celebrated my cousin’s birthday, and took photos of the different generations of Leesangs. It was a lot of fun!

In the evening, we hung out in the casino and gambled a bit, but the swimming and sun took a lot out of me so there was no dancing for me, and I went to bed early (11 PM). This night, a towel-bulldog was waiting for me in the cabin. 🐶

"Parked by the Bar" Great Stirrup Cay, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/220 sec, ISO200
“Parked by the Bar” Great Stirrup Cay, 2016

Note: This post was written on 8/4/2016

Party in Nassau

"Paradise" Nassau, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO400
“Paradise” Nassau, 2016

Today was an awesome day! We made port in Nassau in the morning and made our way to our cousin’s house for yet another Leesang family get-together. As you can see in the photos and videos, their backyard opens up to the water. It was warm and beautiful and great for wading, swimming 🏊, and kayaking. 🚣 Just wonderful. ☀️😎

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Leesangs love to dance, and dance we did! 💃🎵 I’m not a good dancer by and stretch of the imagination, but there are some family members who are amazing dancers. But, talented or not, we all had a fantastic time.

"Family Dance" Nassau, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/1000 sec, ISO200
“Family Dance” Nassau, 2016

The other thing my family loves to do is EAT! 🍴 The food at the Nassau party blew away the cruise food big time. Lobster, crab, fish, conch, curry, etc etc etc. And of course fresh Scotch Bonnet peppers 🔥 were always being passed around. This was easily my favorite meal of the vacation.

"Lobster etc." Nassau, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/160 sec, ISO200
“Lobster etc.” Nassau, 2016

We also enjoyed fresh coconut water, and by fresh, I mean the coconuts were brought down from the backyard tree and cut open and handed out. 🌴 In the video below, the finished coconuts were being split in half to get at the jelly. You use a piece of chipped coconut to scrape it out and eat.

The party lasted until about 3:30, and then most of us had to head back to the ship 🚢 since the deadline was 4:30pm. I would have loved to stay longer at the Nassau house (say 3-4 more days 😝) but we had to go.

Back on the ship it was time to shower, relax with a cool beverage 🍹 and then meet up again for dinner… We were so full already, but we did our best to eat. 😧

The highlight of the evening for me was the comedy show at the ship’s theater. The comedian was hilarious and we all had a great time. After that is was casino and dancing once again. By the time I got back to my cabin, where a towel-elephant 🐘 awaited me, I was beat! I fell asleep immediately… 😴 Another wonderful day!

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

Hitting the Beach on Grand Bahama

"Beach Colors" Port Lucaya, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO200
“Beach Colors” Port Lucaya, 2016

Today we visited Grand Bahama and docked at Freeport, then took a taxi to Port Lucaya to shop and hang out at the beach. 🌊 There were plenty of water-sports 🏄 to take part in, but several of the family decided to ride the Banana Boat. They said it was super-fun! I decided to just relax on shore, and swim 🏊 a bit. It was a hot day and the water was nice and we saw a lot of relatives who made the journey over to the same beach.

Back at the ship 🚢, we showered and then went to a family get-together in one of the lounges. 🍹 On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons we reserved the Outrigger Lounge for a couple hours and the family members passed around the mic  and everyone introduced themselves, mingled, and listened to some family history. It was fun, funny, and touching, because we also took pause to remember the family members who had passed away recently (and no-so-recently). 🙏

One fun activity we enjoyed was a “Family Trivia” game, where you had to answer questions about family members, and get signatures. For instance, one of the items was “Who has the longest hair in the family?”. You can see in one of the pictures below one of the kids measuring my mom’s and my cousin’s hair. It was a good activity for the younger members of the family to get to know everyone. 👍

After the gathering, we all headed to the Crossings restaurant where we had dinner each night as a large group. The food was pretty good, and we ordered double-appetizers and entrees! It was fun to visit with the immediate and larger family. After the meal, it was time for karaoke 🎤 and then dancing 💃 at the Dazzles night club! I think we may have hit the Sky Club Casino 🎲 as well, but don’t quote me on that. 😝 And then midnight buffet anyone? 🍔 Of course!

When I arrived back at my cabin, there was a cute towel-animal waiting for me. A nice surprise and a good way to end a wonderful day.

"Bahamian Sunset" Atlantic Ocean, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/220 sec, ISO400
“Bahamian Sunset” Atlantic Ocean, 2016

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

Cruising

"On the Ship" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO400
“On the Ship” Miami, 2016

Today we began our cruise aboard the Norwegian Sky. 🚢 It’s one of those massive ships that seem to have every amenity on board. This particular ship has an open bar… so it is affectionately known as the “Booze Cruise”. And yes, I did have a few drinks! 🍹🍷🍸🍻

"Let's Go!" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO400
“Let’s Go!” Miami, 2016

This day was pretty much a half-day aboard the ship but it was really fun. It began with lunch and a welcome dance up by the pool. My extended family were all wearing the same blue reunion t-shirt so we pretty much took over that deck. I think there were around 200 of us! And this family loves to dance. Besides the nightclub on the ship, just about every other family gathering had dancing. 💃 It was so much fun!

The rest of the evening was spent taking a huge group photo, a dip in the pool, dinner, karaoke, gambling at the casino, and dancing at the nightclub. And probably a visit to the midnight buffet. 🍔🍴 It was a great start to the cruise!

"Distant Clouds" Atlantic Ocean, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
“Distant Clouds” Atlantic Ocean, 2016

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

Baseball in Miami

"At the Marlins Game" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
“At the Marlins Game” Miami, 2016

Hello! How’s it going?

Today a few of us decided to catch a Marlins game while we had a free day. The Mets were in town visiting and we got some great seats on the right-field side. I had forgotten that Ichiro played for the Marlins, but when we got to our seats we noticed there were a lot of Japanese fans in the seats. Then I realized that we had the chance to see the great Ichiro!

Unfortunately he wasn’t in the lineup… All the Japanese fans were bummed, I’m sure. But happily, in the 8th inning Ichiro came up to bat as a pinch hitter. He ended up striking out, but it was cool to see him play at least a little bit. ⚾️

I’m happy I have gotten to see some great ballplayers during my lifetime. Besides Ichiro, I have seen Derek Jeter, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Piazza, Tony Gwynn, and Ozzie Smith among others. Hall-of-Famers!

It’s so fun to visit the different MLB stadiums around the country. This was the 7th MLB stadium I have been to, and I’ve been to 3 in Japan.

In the end, the Mets beat the Marlins 0-3 but we still had a fantastic time. I’m so glad we went!

"Baseball Panorama" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Baseball Panorama” Miami, 2016

おやすみなさい!

– B Barron Fujimoto

Note: This post was written on 8/1/2016