Wandering Waco 3

I would bet the most visited museum in Waco is the Dr. Pepper Museum . . . it is usually where I take my visitors when they are in town.  I have not been in many years so grabbed my pass at the library and headed out.  My local libraries offer free museum passes with a library card.  It is a great program and saves money.  I wonder if other libraries do this?  

The museum has expanded to three floors.  I was very impressed on the improvements.  I found the displays fun to look back at the history and products.  

One thing that I did not remember is Sugar Free Dr. Pepper came in blue cans . . . I am guessing this became the white can Diet Dr. Pepper in the 80s?

If you have a paid ticket your admissions gets you a soda at the soda fountain . . . my ticket was free so no free soda which was fine with me.  A few blocks away is Milk Bottle Cookies . . . they have been around for a few years but never stopped by.  It's hard to just pick one but you could easily share a cookie as they are very large!  I went with the strawberry lemonade and samoa cookie . . . it will take several days to eat both cookies. 

Museum Pass saved: $12 

Sweet Treat:  $6

Wandering Waco 2

I checked out another museum pass and have my plan!  Unfortunately, it is Spring Break with a lot of visitors to our town.  I circled the parking lot for a long time and well there was just no parking so I gave up and headed to lunch.  I am excited to head to a part of Waco that I would normally avoid.  Growing up in the area this was a place known for a lot of crime.  I must say that I was very surprised at all the renovations and revitalization to the East Side of Waco.  What a great job and I'm sure a lot of hard work and dedication by the local community to turn the area around.  My lunch today is at Revival Eastside Eatery.  When they drop off a glass of water with the menu, I know I am going to like this place!  I also liked the concept of a rotating staff; anyone could help you if you needed it. The  ingredients are locally sourced and fresh daily. The building used to be a church and the menu item are all religious puns.  I had the Rachel sandwich which was roast beef, arugula, pickled red onions, horseradish aioli, cheese on a rosemary sour dough bread . . . with a side of fries and lemon garlic aioli dipping sauce.  Yummy!

I headed back to the museum and still no luck finding parking so I decided to pivot.  The weather is amazing so I changed my plans.  I decided to walk the banks of the Brazos River.  I started at Bledsole Miller Park and visited the Doris Miller Memorial.  Doris Miller was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919. He enlisted in the Navy in 1939.  Doris "Dorie" Miller was a U.S. Navy sailor and hero of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. As a Black Mess Attendant Third Class on the USS West Virginia, he disregarded safety to move wounded crewmen and manned an anti-aircraft gun without training, shooting down multiple Japanese aircraft.  Miller received the Navy Cross on May 27, 1942, during a ceremony aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor. Presented by Admiral Chester Nimitz, this award recognized his extraordinary courage under fire during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, making him the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross.

Doris Miller was killed in action when his ship, the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin in the Gilbert Islands on November 24, 1943; he was 24 years old.

I walked down to the bank of the Brazos River to get a view of the Suspension Bridge.

I drove across the Brazos River to Indian Spring Park to check out the Suspension Bridge from the top.  Completed in 1870, the Waco Suspension Bridge is a historic 475-foot structure spanning the Brazos River in Waco, Texas. Originally a toll bridge crucial to the Chisholm Trail cattle drives, it was the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi upon completion. Designed by Thomas M. Griffith and using John Roebling Co. cables (later used for the Brooklyn Bridge), it now serves as a pedestrian walkway and scenic park.  

 

I gave the museum one more try and still not parking so I headed out to find a sweet treat at Around the World Bakery.  

I ordered a vanilla latte and raspberry . . . I was shocked at how expensive the two items were but should have known since the raspberry did not have a price like every other dessert.  So always ask the price.  The raspberry was filled with lemon cake, lemon curd, raspberry jam, and raspberry cream.  It was very good but for the size of the raspberry not $9 good. Oddly it was the only item in the display case with no price so I should have known.  Oh well!  

Lunch:  $14.88

Sweet Treat:  $15.25 . . .  a splurge!

Museum Pass saved:  $0

Wandering Waco 1

Due to my post surgery physical therapy appointments, I am stuck close to home.  I am getting a bit tired of being home so every week I am trying to get out and explore a new places in my area.  My first adventure starts at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Texas Rangers were established in 1823 to protect the “Texian” colonies, the Rangers served as the primary defense force for Texas.  Their main mission, until well after the Civil War, was defending against Indian raids and incursions form across the Mexican Border.  As the 19^th century drew to a close, their responsibilities changed from military protection to law enforcement, duties they continue to perform today.

There were a lot of displays with guns and historical information about the Texas Rangers.  I really liked the Pop Culture Gallery with memorabilia from The Lone Ranger and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Next to the museum is the historic First Street Cemetery.  The weather is amazing so I walked around for a bit.

A quick lunch at Vitek's Market for what they are know as the home of the Gut Pack.  I decided to go for the half order.  Think frito chips, sliced sausage, chopped brisket, beans, bbq sauce, shredded cheese, pickles, jalapenos, and onions . . . so basically a fancy Texas themed frito pie. 

The best part about this was the museum visit was free.  How you ask?  Our local libraries have museum passes that you check out for up to 7 days!  What a great deal . . . so I only had to pay for my lunch.

Museum Pass saved:  $10.50

Lunch:  $8.11

Day 8: Sea Day

The last full day of the cruise, and it is nice to have a sea day to relax before the end.  I had a light breakfast; the bread and butter are my weakness.

The sea was calm today but the sun stayed hidden!

A liquid lunch with a side of trivia and origami! 

I took some time in the cabin doing a little packing and relaxing.  Then ate all my favorites at Indulge Food Hall one last time; stuffed dates, freshly made naan, and pineapple.

The sunset on the last night was the best!

Day 7: Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya isn't the most exciting cruise port unless you want to shop, swim, or hang out at the bars at the arrival area.  The most popular ruins near Costa Maya are Chacchoben which means the place of the red corn.  Three words:  jungle, ruins, monkeys . . . I was hoping to see all three today.  I picked this excursion and my parents just went along because they are easy going!  We are headed to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins.  I picked a small group excursion in a van with only 10 people . . . it only cost $10 more per person!  So much better than a big bus of 50 people.  The drive was about an hour so not too bad.  

The first human settlement dates back to around 1000 BC.  Our guide did an excellent job sharing historic facts, how the site used to be, what was eaten by the people and how life in this lush jungle area was for them from day to day.

Beautiful plants growing out of trees.

More remains of a pyramid/temple base.

Steps that we did not climb . . . apparently the view was amazing on the other side.

It is a very well kept area . . . easy walking path that is clearly marked.  The grounds were so full of lush plants and vines.

I found this interesting as it looked like a pinecone but was actually a variety of coconut.  Each one was the size of a large nut.  The individual pods were hard but inside was a smaller pod that was the actual coconut/nut.  I do not remember exactly the name or what they are called but they are pretty cool.

. . . and finally the grand ruins of Temple One.

It was a quick hour drive back to the ship . . . we were pushing it on time which I hate but knew the ship would wait since we were on one of the ship's organized excursion.  We got back onboard with 10 minutes before the all on board time and had a nice lunch at The Local.  We were only in port for 5 hours so everyone was out and about making it crowded on board . . . and we were over an hour late leaving due to some tardy parties that didn't seem to think the all on board time was for them.

Day 6: Roatan, Honduras

We have our first official excursion today.  My choices are a lot more low key due to my limitations with shoulder surgery and my parents need easier these days.  I gave them a list of excursions and let them pick.  We are headed to a Coconut Farm with an Island Lunch.  I had low expectations but knew it would just be nice to be off the ship and seeing how the locals lived.  The drive was far and it seemed as if there was only one way to get to our stop.  We arrived at the Coconut Adventures near the French Harbour.  

We enjoyed a very informative and educational talk on all that coconuts had to offer.  My dad was in heaven!  Each tree will produce 175-200 coconuts a year.  The flower is the long skinny thing you see in the photos above.  A coconut has 3 faces and 3 sides.  The coconut milk is used as a laxative and to help with menopause symptoms.  They passed around samples of fresh coconut milk and people were afraid to try it because they stressed so many times how effective and quickly it would work.  

  

At the end of the presentations we were served a local lunch of chicken cooked in coconut milk, rice & beans, and fried plantains with coconut lemonade.  The meal was amazing!

I am usually a bit picky about eating local food when on tours, but I was hungry.  The food was so good!

As we drove back to the cruise port our guide was telling us about the local culture.  I always find the information about education interesting.  School is not required!  Uniforms are required if you attend school.  She told us most kids that do go to school stop going around 12 so they can work and earn money.  I found this crazy.  Most go work labor jobs and she said the craftmanship is awful.  Of course it is when you have 12 year old uneducated kids doing the job.  Electricity is very expensive and gasoline was $6 a gallon.  Everyone on the island loves Bojangles . . . I've never eaten at one but there is one near me in a gas station.

It was back to the ship for a relaxing afternoon and sail away.

Day 5: Harvest Caye, Belize

Welcome to . . . . 

Today we are at one of Norwegian Cruise Lines private islands,  Harvest Caye.  

There are many things to do around the island but for us it was a nice relaxing day on the beach!

As we were leaving, we walked through the Wildlife Experience.  They had a few animals and a beautiful butterfly house to walk inside!  There were so many big beautiful blue butterflies.

 

I found this Ceiba Tree really interesting.

It was a long walk back to the ship, but they had golf carts available for a small tip . . . my parents appreciated the ride back!

Day 4: Cozumel, Mexico

For the first time ever, I have not planned an excursion in Cozumel.  We are just getting off and walking around.  We docked in Punta Langosta which is the heart of downtown San Miguel de Cozumel.  

There is a waterfront walkway that goes to the Parque Benito Juarez so we started walking.

We walked around and then headed back to the ship.  It was a lot of tourist souvenir shops which we were not interested in visiting.  It was nice to just get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunny day.  So we went back to the ship.  These desserts look so good but no so much!  I do love they are only about 3 bites so not a lot of waste.

We ended the night with the production of Beetlejuice.

Day 3: Sea Day

It was a dreary day with a rough sea!  I had planned to lay outside in a lounge chair most of the day but well it was rainy and cold so spent a lot of time in the cabin relaxing.

Day 2: cruising the VIVA again

Here I go again . . . I loved the NCL VIVA so much that when she came to Texas; I booked another cruise!  I have been to all the port stops but that is okay.  I needed a break and this will be a great week of hanging out, eating, and relaxing.  The ship seems a bit crowded with limited menus, but it was fun being back onboard and showing my parents around.  We have connecting interior cabins . . . think small but the bathroom is really big to me.

 

Good-bye Galveston . . . see you in a week!

If you remember I sailed this same ship from Istanbul to Athens last October and loved the Indulge Food Hall.  I could not wait for my first meal!

And of course there was pineapple for dessert!