I’m writing this post whilst stuck onboard my ship. I’m so close I can see the outside, but they won’t let us go. This cruise required a change in itinerary and since we usually arrive in San Juan immediately following St. Croix our ship doesn’t have to do much in terms of Customs and Immigration. However, since we came from foreign ports into San Juan we are required to do much more. Someone forgot to tell someone and the Customs and Border Patrol Officials that were supposed to be here at 6:00 AM had to be called at home and pulled from their beds to come inspect the ship. Because of that I should be flying my kite at the fort and instead I’m sitting on the floor in sight of outside. Sad.
I mentioned earlier that we had to change itineraries. Apparently the E Hurricanes are after me. Some of you may recall that Hurricane Earl sent me to Portland, Maine for an overnight last fall. This year, Hurricane Emily shuffled our ports a bit. It really wasn’t a big deal….until today.
Because of the shuffle, we went to St. Croix first instead of last. This was my last visit to St. Croix as I transfer at the end of next cruise. A “Must Do” I have read is the Snorkel Trail at Buck Island. Over a year ago I did the Snorkel Trail at another US Virgin Island, St. John. It’s kind of like a hiking trail, except underwater. There are placards on the ocean floor indicating the beginning and end of the trail as well as describing certain fish and types of coral along the way. The water was rougher than I had expected so it was hard to get pictures and get a good look at some things, but it was still really nice. The coral formations here are much larger than most snorkel places. The one downside, probably caused by the rough water, was many of the placards were silted over. Our snorkel guide dusted one of them off, but only the one that said “End of Trail” so I didn’t really learn anything. All in all it was a good trip. The boat ride to and from the island was very scenic- we even saw a dolphin on the way there!
Our next port was Barbados. I walked to the beach that the crew always go to, but hardly anyone was there. There had been a big crew party the night before so apparently people needed their sleep more than they needed the beach. I didn’t let the low attendance slow me. I grabbed my mask and snorkel and took off to see the turtles again. I found 3 turtles and a different shipwreck from the last one I saw. I’m not sure if the shipwreck was deeper or if the water was less clear but the pictures aren’t as good as the other ones, but I could still see fine.
The next day was St. Lucia- not a favorite of mine. It is a beautiful island if you get out of the port town, but there’s not much in town. I went to a nearby hotel and grabbed lunch and some internet.
Antigua was my island of choice for Friday. I had our bi-weekly emergency drill in the morning and the lifeboat I am assigned to was going in the water and I volunteered to go with it. Usually I just sit in it, but I got to man the radio this time and get our orders from the Staff Captain on the Bridge. Exciting, huh?
After boat drill I went to my second favorite pizza place in the Caribbean. Then I finally convinced someone to go on an island tour with me. I was told I had to go see Devil’s Bridge. It is a natural bridge on the Atlantic side of the island. The bridge was formed by the violence of the waves removing all rock except this narrow bridge above the splashing water. This stop was even better than I had expected!!!! I loved it. It is said that, years ago, slaves would frequent this spot and nothing was in between here and West Africa. So they would come here and talk to their families. They would also come here and commit suicide by jumping off the bridge or slave owners would punish slaves by throwing them over. It is said that if you fall in the water here, you will not be able to get back out and you will die. Thankfully I did not fall in. I did however cross the bridge- twice. There was another group of people there on a taxi tour and they were all yelling for us not to do it that it was too dangerous. Our cab driver yelled back and said you can’t keep grown people from being adventurous…and he encouraged us to go. I won’t lie, I was scared- but that made me have to do it…not let the fear win. My friend was way ahead of me, but a few steps on to the bridge I stopped because I was scared. Just then a big wave hit and I was splashed. He turned and laughed at me, but later when he was taking a picture for me, he got really soaked!
After the bridge we went to Shirley’s Heights and Nelson’s Dockyard. These are both historic and touristy sites on the island. They were both nice, but not as fun as the bridge. However, we did see the homes of Timothy Dalton, Michael Cane, and Eric Clapton. We were told after the fact that we also passed Crossroads Rehab center- I think Mariah Carey and Brittany Spears stayed there when they were living the crazy life.
I was in St. Maarten yesterday. Nothing terribly exciting for me there. Lunch in a French Cafe, a swim in the ocean, and a skype call home. Then I came back onboard to do laundry and go to work. Living the life….
I’m in San Juan today and they finally let us get off the ship! I just came to my favorite pizza place and my usual waitress said, “Do you want your regular?” I thought for sure she didn’t remember what I usually get, so I started to tell her and she interrupted me and repeated my normal order to me. I’m a regular! I’ve always wanted to have a spot like that where they know what I want and I can say things like “I’ll have the usual.” Now I have that…and I’m leaving. Well, it was fun this once.
Sorry, no pictures this time. They won’t load for some reason.
