Buenvenidos a Miami

Can't buh-lieve it's over now. We're back at the Miami port.

Had our brekky first. I got some omelette and bacon. We're trying not to think about the end of our vacay.

I had to settle my bill before checking out. Then we got our bags and bid goodbye to Royal Caribbean. We went through immigration security and presented our travel docs.

We're supposed to meet Trix's friend but she couldn't get hold of him. Ogz offered to use his free stay at Hilton for our bags' temporary storage. So he called Hilton and arranged everything. When we got there, Ogz talked to them once more. He didn't have to use his free stay anymore. They let us use their luggage storage. Yay!

It's time to check out Miami. Our goal is to check out the Art Deco along Ocean Drive and of course, get inked at Miami Ink. Art Deco is where Dexter usually cruise for those serial killers. That's the only thing I know about this road. I think this place is more alive at night. We also noticed a lot of peeps with yummy nekkid bodies. We wanted to transfer here.Joy used the GPS on her phone to find Miami Ink. We're soooo excited to see it! By the way, there are two Miami Ink tattoo shops. One was converted into a retail shop (where you can buy shirts and stuff) and the other (it's called "Love Hate Tattoos and Choppers") is where you can get inked. It's located a few shops away on the same side of the road.We talked to the receptionist named Guy (a deadringer of Dominic Monaghan). I showed him my design and he said they could do it for this price. I said "Okay". It's pretty expensive but I so want this tattoo. Joy, on the other hand, had a slight prob. They couldn't do a small version of her design without compromising the deets. She had to think of another design.Guy asked us to be back around 2. Had to deposit 100 bucks.

It's time to have lunch. We found this cute Spanish village where we had an Italian lunch at Hosteria Romana. The food is really good and inexpensive. Perfect-sized servings too.Went back to the tattoo studio and waited. Joy & I signed some waiver. It indicates that the person to be tattooed is not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, that the color and design may vary, that the tattoo is permanent, etc.

Trix with daughter, Isabelle, and Cathy had to catch their flights so we bid goodbye to them. We hope that we could have another exciting gimmick in the near future.Then it's time to face the music. Guy setup the area where I'll get inked. He put plastic cover on everything. Morgwn is my tattoo artist. He looks like Adam from "Mythbusters". He placed the design transfer on my right upper arm and asked if the position is good. I checked myself in the mirror and nodded.

I saw the inks (black, red and white) in tiny cups. The needles. Vaseline.

Morgwn started on the outline. Uhm, it wasn't that bad. I thought it would really, really hurt. I dunno. I may just have a high tolerance to pain.After the outline, he worked on the shading and coloring.

It took more than an hour. At times, I fell sleepy. I tried not to move though. Morgwn commended me for being still the whole time.

Ami James, the owner of the tattoo shop, dropped by. He reminds me of Scofield.I checked out my tattoo in the mirror. Freakin' happy!He advised me to rinse it off after a few hours. He put bandage on the wound. I need to buy Dial antibacterial soap and a fragrance-free lotion like Curel to keep the skin moisturized.

Joy was next. She opted to have the Eye of Horus tattooed on her left arm. Another artist named Danny took care of her. I kept telling her that it doesn't hurt so bad. I caught her mouthing the F word though ;oP

After a few minoots, she's done and here's the final product. We found out later that Adam Lambert, one of the American Idol contestants, has the same tattoo on his right arm.Before leaving the shop, we took some photos. I thanked Morgwn and gave him my tip (it's customary!).Around 4, we decided to head back to the hotel to get our stuff. The airport is pretty close to the hotel though.

Got our stuff and did a quick check-in. We had dinner at one of their restos. I had ground pork, plantains and rice. I miss eating rice ;oP

It took 2 hours to reach Virginia. Richie picked us up at the airport. Thank you, Rich!

Ahhhh, vacay is officially over.