"Live" from Serenade of the Seas - December 1st

[BuyReallyLow]

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten – December 3, 2007

The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away. I’m looking for the truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling.

- Robert Pirsig

In his magnificent work The Great Travelers, Milton Rugoff writes that “a bewildering variety of motives drives our traveler.”

“When a moment knocks on the door of your life,” wrote Russian novelist Boris Pasternak, “it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss it.” In Matthew 7:7, we find “Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

The moment of the knock, the strong time, the ripe time, was personified by the Greeks as the god Kairos. They envisioned him with winged feet and scepter, poised on a razor’s edge, left hand inches away from the scales of fate. The god also symbolized chance, fortune, and synchronicity, which is another kind of knocking at the door. The invocation for the god was “Grab him Swiftly.” Chances are, the myth says, the moment is sweeping past. Fortune may not soon pass this way again, and this moment of time – never again.

For sculptor Max Ernst, the call was heard from within the stone for him to scratch “the runes of our own mystery.” Poet Gary Snyder remarks that the moment of inspiration is so fleeting that he has to be ready, which is why he always carries a cheap spiral notebook and pen with him. What drove Marlowe and imprinted destiny into his soul in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness was a vision from childhood:

I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look like that) I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there.

For the twelfth-century Islamic mystic Mevlana Rumi, the source is as close as the vein of your neck. “I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I’ve been knocking from the inside.”

The call this morning is to sleep in. The first two days wore heavily on us, and then yesterday felt like a rush to “start” our vacation, just the opposite of our quest. So this morning was a sleep in. Mind you, that does not mean until 10 or 11 AM. We are early risers – I like to be in the office when it is quiet, and my wife, who does not work outside the home, rises early to make sure our daughters start their day well as they leave to school. So sleeping until 8 AM is highly rare. But to sleep late, and have breakfast #1 delivered to the room is something wonderful. To arise from slumber, and have a leisurely breakfast on the balcony is wonderful. We find that when we splurge on a larger room (Grand Suite this time), we spend a bit more time in our rooms. This does two things – (1) it provides us valuable together time and (2) it avoids the crowds that we find in areas on the ship. Maybe that is why we have rarely run across someone who’s behavior rubs us the wrong way. We have our cabin as our sanctuary.

After breakfast, as my wife prepares for the day, I have a chance to stop by the Concierge lounge for a Cappuccino, upload yesterday’s picture and journal entry on Webshots, Cruise Critic, and Crowncast, and then head to the Shipshape Center to attempt to not gain the 7 pounds many do during a cruise. A brisk 20 minutes on the cross trainer burns 345 calories – so I feel better about the mass quantity of food I am about to ingest during Breakfast #2. Maybe it mostly mental, but it does feel better (once your done!! J). BTW, I fully mean to post audio of various activities around the ship, but I am having trouble with Youtube while on board, so if I can figure that out, there is more to come!

Today our plan is to rent a Ford Explorer (3 row seating, since we are six) from our good friend Arthur and drive around St. Maarten to see the best that the beaches (and beach bars) have to offer. The skies promise a better day today than yesterday, although we are caught this morning by another passing shower. But one can be hopeful!!

St. Maarten’s main pier is beautiful, with a large assortment of shops including the prerequisite Jewelry stores and T-Shirt Shops. Diamond International and Little Switzerland are both represented. Somehow my wife resisted all of my temptations to have her pick up something. I am surprised and actually a bit scared!! We also tried the legendary Rum Jumbies – they are very good and when mixed with fresh juice it is virtually impossible to tell there is alcohol in the drink. I personally like to taste alcohol in my drink – it reminds me not to have too much – but I can see why it is so well liked. While on the pier, we were hit by a pretty strong squall that lasted all of 5 minutes (really just sideswiped us). From the pier if you are heading to the historic downtown to shop you can take either a auto taxi or the preferred method is the water cab. It is a quick ride across the bay and drops you right off. We had other plans – we were renting a car from Arthur’s Car Rental. (Juancho Yrusquin Blvd. #73, Pointe Blanche, St. Maaren, N.A.). This is our 3rd time renting from Arthur, and have never been disappointed. Since our group was six, we rented a Dodge Caravan for $150.00. $50 per couple is not too bad a price. Arthur can be found by walking out of the pier area through the checkpoint, and walking about 2 blocks along the main road to your RIGHT. From the time we walked in until we walked out was less than 2 minutes. In a flash we were heading thru Phillipsburg for a circumnavigation of the island.

Our first stop was Maho Beach (Airport). This is the famous beach situated right on the end of the active runway on St. Maarten. Both sides of the beach have bars – our favorite is the Sunset Beach Bar. In the bar they broadcast the radio transmissions from the aircraft so you can be prepared. Of course, while at Maho Beach a squall passed – quite a good size one – a direct hit that “forced” us to sit and have a couple of drinks while waiting for the weather to pass. The squall lasted about 20 – 25 minutes – soon we were on our way to Mullet Beach and Coco Bay Beach. Both are superior beaches to Maho – there are not airplanes but a better beach. Pretty quiet since the rain had just fallen and the clouds still threatened. A golf course in pretty poor condition runs alongside much of this area – quite a few dilapidated buildings in the course area – this could probably be had at a decent price if one was looking for something to develop. Just past this area is a large area that is private, with beautiful homes and estates. If adventurous, head into this area toward Plum Bay and Plum Beach. There are two enterances to this area – the beaches are often deserted. It does not appear that it is a good area to swim in (rocks, close break, etc), but the beach is nice if your just looking for a quiet place to sit.

Rain pushed us into the French side of the island. We had planned to stop at Friar Beach, but rain pushed us thru Marigot toward Grand Case, where the famed “Restaurant Row” is. If you plan on going there, I would pass… J. I am sure the restaurants are fine, but they are small, locally owned establishments. Parking is a bit tough, although for $5 to $10 you can park in someone’s back yard. We moved on up the road towards the most famous beach on the entire island – Orient Beach.

Orient Beach is regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It certainly has the highest number of shacks selling you things of any beach I’ve ever seen!! We were quite hungry, so stopped at Pedros, which is on the far right side (from the land) of Orient Beach. It is right next to the equally famous Club Orient, which is a nudist colony. Not much in way of “scenery” was walking by…but maybe that’s a topic for another journal entry. Pedro’s is basically a grill joint, with burgers, chicken, ribs, etc. It did have a roof, which was nice to use as we fought through another rain squall. I am happy to say that is the LAST squall we had for the rest of the day. By the time we headed up the road, the sun had appeared and the temperature rose to the level you would expect for the Southern Caribbean. It portents excellent things for the rest of our journey!!

After Orient we wandered up the coast, past Oyster Pond and Dawn Beach. Construction still exists by Dawn Beach, which is one of our favorite areas but we passed it by today in order to return to the ship. We returned the van at approximately 3 PM, plenty of time for some last minute shopping at the Pier and to return to the ship for an afternoon snack and some rest time.

Today at 5 PM was also the time of our rescheduled Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle. We had a nice crowd – I have missed a number of these over the years – so it was nice to put names and faces with those with whom I have been writing to for the past year or so. I hope every one of you has a fantastic trip and make memories that last a lifetime.

Just before dinner tonight, we stopped by to speak with Colleen Lacharity, the Loyalty Ambassador. I want to take my girls on a cruise to go along with heading to see the mouse in Florida this summer. A 4 day Bahamas Cruise seemed to be a good introduction for my then-to-be 17 and 9 year olds. We were able to book on Sovereign of the Seas with a respectable cabin at a respectable price. It will be our first time on this class of ship, so we are looking forward to that. Isn’t it wonderful to have your next cruise booked before you even finish your current journey? We also took advantage of the advance booking opportunity to deposit $100 per person in order to secure our $100 on-board booking credit for an undetermined date on an undetermined ship. So in essence we booked two (2) cruises while on board.

Dinner tonight was the Italian – highlighted by Rosemary Lamb. This is not one of my favorite nights – I had the Minestrone, a salad, the garlic black tiger shrimp and Tiramisu for desert. My wife had a salad, the same shrimp, and sugar free strawberry angel food cake for desert. We both did not like the Black Tiger Shrimp – it was OK in terms of quality, but it is broiled butterflied, and is tough not to overcook.

We ended our night at our favorite bar, the Champaign Bar, having Kir Royals and recalling our day. We have been pursued by rain, but in the effort we have seen some of the busiest beaches in the world almost empty, and most others completely empty. That is wonderful.

Some other details…..

- The drink of the day is Mango Mai Tai at $5.25

- The Headliner Entertainment was the Motown Sounds of Horizon. Did not attend – never have heard of them.

- 70’s Disco night was tonight in the Vortex Night Club.

- I walked 15928 steps today according to the counter.

- TAC1 – good to hear from you. Anytime…. Anytime… J

To hear the pounding on the door, we have to remember to pay attention to what we have lost and to what is calling for us. Not a day goes by when the world doesn’t cry out for us, signal us with signs and sounds, calling us home. Listening closely is nearly a lost art, but a retrievable one. The soul thrives on it.

Words heard by chance have been known to change lives.

[BuyReallyLow]

I did not get a chance to find out the Toronto couples name. If I see them I will be sure to ask.

 

Off this morning to Antiqua - we are doing the Eli Eco Tour.

 

Nice weather - I think we have left the rain behind.

 

For pictures, visit www.prosapiaeo.net

 

BRL

[MIcruiser99]

Thank you so much for your detailed review. You were on the Adventure before we were going on her so I feel like we are following you again. We have the Serenade reserved in the future and look forward to hearing what tours you choose and all the details of your trip.

 

We are also planning on using Eli for the eco tour so look forward to your comments of that tour.

 

Your weather sounds like what we had in St. Thomas and St. Martin when we were on the Adventure. We were at beach both days and got downpoured for a short time.

 

Looking forward to seeing your pictures!

[prc]

Saw you docked from Antigua's webcam this morning. Looks like a beautiful day!

 

Thanks Bill, we can't wait till January!!!

[Mach1]

Thank you for taking the time to send us updates! They are wonderful. It makes me even more excited for our cruise! :)

Sorry to hear of all your troubles in the beginning of your journey. Glad it turned out well and you made it to the ship. That is one of my fears as well. We are coming from Montana and I am scared we could run into problems as well. :( Going a day early is so important.

[Bonnie Voyager]

We are booked on Serenade for March 2008. I booked it nearly 2 years ago. I love the itinerary, but my favorite thing about it is that she does the 360 degree turn at the base of The Pitons and then spends the last day sailing along the coast of Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, etc....I have read recently that she is no longer making the turn at The Pitons nor sailing along the coast of the islands on the sea day. This happened for a while last year too but then they resumed the original course along the islands. I sure hope they have resumed the island sail-by and Piton Pivot by March! I will be so disappointed if I miss it. :( Either way it will be a great trip though. ;)

[alicam]

So glad to hear about your voyage aboard this ship...I quite look forward to reading about it....we will be on Serenade in March/08 as well

[shevais]

We are booked on Serenade for March 2008. I booked it nearly 2 years ago. I love the itinerary, but my favorite thing about it is that she does the 360 degree turn at the base of The Pitons and then spends the last day sailing along the coast of Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, etc....I have read recently that she is no longer making the turn at The Pitons nor sailing along the coast of the islands on the sea day. This happened for a while last year too but then they resumed the original course along the islands. I sure hope they have resumed the island sail-by and Piton Pivot by March! I will be so disappointed if I miss it. :( Either way it will be a great trip though. ;)

 

Just coming off last saturday they did not do the pivot, nor sail by the islands, as the captain said on the last day "if you see land please tell me"

 

It was dark when we left St. Lucia so the pivot would have been worthless anyways. It was a very slow sailing night that night

[Bonnie Voyager]

Just coming off last saturday they did not do the pivot, nor sail by the islands, as the captain said on the last day "if you see land please tell me"

 

It was dark when we left St. Lucia so the pivot would have been worthless anyways. It was a very slow sailing night that night

 

 

Well, hopefully by March it will be lighter outside when we leave St. Lucia and they will resume the pivot! I am very disappointed that they are not doing the island sail-by too. Perhaps each Captain makes his own plan? If this is the case, I want a new Captain! :p

[CLQ]

Well, hopefully by March it will be lighter outside when we leave St. Lucia and they will resume the pivot! I am very disappointed that they are not doing the island sail-by too. Perhaps each Captain makes his own plan? If this is the case, I want a new Captain! :p

I've been hearing about this feature of the Southern route for a while now. Sure hoping we get to experience it ourselves! Tell you what, Bonnie--we'll give you a firsthand report soon.

[Bonnie Voyager]

I've been hearing about this feature of the Southern route for a while now. Sure hoping we get to experience it ourselves! Tell you what, Bonnie--we'll give you a firsthand report soon.

 

 

It was the unique itinerary with the Piton pivot and island sail-by that drew me to book this cruise nearly 2 years ago in the first place! I know it will be terrific even without these features, but I will feel a twinge of sadness if we don't get to have the experience I was counting on. :(

[BuyReallyLow]

We are booked on Serenade for March 2008. I booked it nearly 2 years ago. I love the itinerary, but my favorite thing about it is that she does the 360 degree turn at the base of The Pitons and then spends the last day sailing along the coast of Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, etc....I have read recently that she is no longer making the turn at The Pitons nor sailing along the coast of the islands on the sea day. This happened for a while last year too but then they resumed the original course along the islands. I sure hope they have resumed the island sail-by and Piton Pivot by March! I will be so disappointed if I miss it. :( Either way it will be a great trip though. ;)

 

I am here in the concierge lounge, and Rahul does not believe they are doing it this season. Now it will be dark when they get there (sunset at around 5:30, but he does not believe they will be doing it all season.

 

Sorry for the bad news.

 

BRL

[BuyReallyLow]

Sorry to everyone for not posting more often this past day. Our itinerary for Antiqua and St. Lucia is very full - and the computers have been tremendously slow. I am just finishing the journal entry and pictures for Antiqua - they should be up within the next few hours. If you have any questions, feel free to fire away - I'll be taking it much easier tomorrow in Barbados and should be a more frequent visitor. Thank you for all the kind words - I really enjoy doing it.

 

Be well,

 

BRL

[BuyReallyLow]

Sorry to everyone for not posting more often this past day. Our itinerary for Antiqua and St. Lucia is very full - and the computers have been tremendously slow. I am just finishing the journal entry and pictures for Antiqua - they should be up within the next few hours. If you have any questions, feel free to fire away - I'll be taking it much easier tomorrow in Barbados and should be a more frequent visitor. Thank you for all the kind words - I really enjoy doing it.

 

Be well,

 

BRL

[wrp96]

That's okay. CC has really been acting up today so it's a good thing you didn't waste your internet minutes trying to post.

[BuyReallyLow]

St. Johns, Antiqua – December 4, 2007

Does the road wind uphill all the way?

Yes, to the very end.

Will the journey take the whole long day?

For morn to night, my friend.

- Christina Roseetti, 1867

In each of us dwells a pilgrim. It is the part of us that longs to have direct contact with the sacred. We will travel halfway around the world and endure great sacrifice and pain to enter the sanctuary, whether it is a temple, shrine, cemetery, library or Sea. This is the way that is no way, but a practice.

”It’s not so much what you do,” wrote Epictetus in his study of happiness, “it is how you do it.”

Your practice is your path. If so, “The Way is uncontrived,” as Lao Tzu said. It is simply the way of seeing, the way of hearing, the way of touching, the way of walking, the way of being, with humility.

Oh, did we hear, touch, walk, and be today!

What a wonderful day! What a fantastic day! What a….. words are superfluous – they do not do justice to what we experienced today! But before the main course, one must have appetizers…..

Mornings on cruise ships are glorious. When should I get up? Whenever you want to. What should I eat? What you want to. Feel sluggish? Work out. Sore? Soak. I have commented before on how much my wife and I love mornings. We like to take our breakfast in three stages. First, we like to be waked by the call alerting us that our room service breakfast of coffee, juice, cereal and rolls will be delivered. After dining leisurely, my wife begins to prepare for the day. While she does so, I trot over to the Concierge Lounge to grab a bit of fruit and a Latte or Cappuccino. I then do my work online, and then check back in with my wife. IF all is going well, we then will head to the windjammer or the main dining room for some eggs, (maybe an Omelet), a bit of turkey sausage, and sometimes a treat. THEN (and only then), we officially “start” our day. J

Did I mention what a day? We signed up for Eli’s Eco Tour for a day of sun, snorkeling, hiking, and quite a bit fascinating knowledge.

Eli’s tour gets great press on many a website and chat rooms. I am here to proclaim that is all deserved. Your day begins just a few feet from the boat at Adventure Antiqua, where you board Eli’s Catamaran. They own two of them, a 42 foot and a 52 foot. Today we were on the 52 footer. Departure time is 9:50 AM (Atlantic)

The Cat is brought past the ships in port (great photo op) and out to the north side of the island. Along the way, they stop and point out the various hotels, buildings, history and animals of the area. Our team today consisted of Captain Tony and First Mates Wan Lovv and Ross. Wan Lovv looks like a Bob Marley disciple, and is always quick with a smile and a hand. Ross is from Antiqua, has lived in England for some time, and has now moved back to his home. All three were wonderful, helpful, and quick to the task. This first leg of the day takes you approximately 2 hours.

At a bit before noon, Captain Tony pulls into a secluded bay on Bird Island. Here, Sea Turtles are plentiful – no less than 5 were viewed while we slowly pull into shore. Passengers are encouraged to disembark and are led on a nature walk by Wan Lovv. It is obvious that Wan Lovv loves his island and loves people and the environment – possibly not in that order. He points out countless plants and animals in our 15 minute climb to the top of Bird Island. Once there, we are able to look out over a large number of small islands just off shore from Antiqua. It makes for beautiful pictures. When ready, we clamber back down. Here we have 20 or so minutes to swim in the bay if one wishes to cool off. The bay is not a good snorkeling spot, as it is full of seaweed (good for the turtles), so it is more of a “get your feet wet” for the swimming/snorkeling that is to come. But if you are a beginner snorkeler, Captain Tony is happy to provide lessons.

Now lunch is served. Lunch consists of a pasta salad, a lettuce salad, grilled BBQ chicken, grilled plantations, beverages (cola, soft drinks), and banana bread for desert. It was fantastic!! Fruit drinks and water are served throughout the day. Lunch is devoured by all – it was finger licking good! While the final banana bread is being served, Captain Tony fires up the cat to head towards our next stop – Hell’s Gate.

Hell’s gate is a very small island that has two distinctive features. One is a natural bridge that spans a third of the island. Second is a sea cave that leads into the center of the remaining part of the island, exposing a natural blowhole that looks like a whirlpool. Water enters from the Atlantic Side, and then is pulled forcibly out into the Caribbean side. The process is reversed when the tide is going out. The Cat is pulled approximately 30 yards off the shore and then everyone interested proceeds to swim the 30 yards in approximately 20 feet of water to the Sea Arch. Once there, the swells are strong – make sure to keep your wide apart. The rocks are limestone and coral here and very sharp – so make sure you have good sandals or aqua socks with thicker soles. After examining the underside of the arch, you are told to climb the wall on one side to the top of the island. It is a bit of a strenuous climb if you are not athletic or not in good shape. It is not a long climb – maybe 35 feet – but one must use handholds on the coral, which are sharp. So use care here. One is rewarded with more wonderful views, including the ability to walk across the arch for wonderful pictures from below. An important point – if you want your Camera on this island, it will need to be waterproof. There is no way to keep your camera dry on the swim to the island.

Once on top, you take a very short walk to climb back down into a cave. The walk in the cave is maybe 40 yards – at a couple of points you will need to duck down to have your rear almost touching the ground (at least this 6 ft 4 in guy did). You are rewarded by coming to the whirlpool. Algae of different colors has grown in this sheltered area making for a beautiful scene. Another quick mountain climb follows to leave the cave. Tough handgrips and footholds again for the less athletic. The group had a few who were very helpful here and helped those less athletic. Only one lady scraped her knee. Once on top, you walk a short way back to the arch, where you clamber down the side wall about 40 feet back into the surf beneath the arch. This was probably the most difficult part for most – but I found it wonderful!! My wife is not much of a swimmer, so she decided to stay on the Cat and was camera lady – she took numerous pictures with others cameras while they were on top of the arch. We then swam back to the boat and got situated to head to our next stop – snorkeling.

A side note. It is amazing some times at how certain situations can bring out different things in different people. I believe that 99% of people are good, kind, and caring. People can not be fully aware of how their actions can affect others around them, but for the most part these types of groups take on a family picnic feel – everyone joining together for the journey. There was a group of four (2 couples)on this trip that were bound and determined to snorkel at every opportunity. This was not a problem. Opportunities for snorkeling presented themselves constantly. The husband of one of the couples has prescription sunglasses. When he jumped into the 15-20 foot water near the arch, he somehow forgot to take his glasses off. They of course fell off and went to the bottom. He was embarrassed that he was so “stupid” (his words) and said no big deal. His wife, however, was less pleasant. She began to yell at the staff, saying how important those glasses are and he could not see without them. The husband kept saying no big deal – the wife did not see it that way. Ross and Won Lovv began to attempt to dive to the bottom to see if they could locate the glasses. The wife kept railing on the the staff. Won Lovv did a fantastic job of talking to her to settle her down – finally in a friendly way telling her to go the island and “chill out – your on vacation beautiful lady”. J. Which she did. Amazingly enough, Ross was able to find the glasses after about 20 minutes of very strenuous work. It is just another example of what an excellent job the staff did on this day.

Captain Tony fired the boat up again and moved us off shore about 400 yards to an area of active coral for snorkeling. The bottom was a bit churned up and the water a bit cloudy, but for most it was a fantastic experience. The area was filled with small quarter sized Jelly Fish. No stinging – at worst they tickled or itched. But in places they were thick, and it felt like you were swimming through clear mucus. It added an “interesting” experience for some. But nothing too startling for most. We did this for the better part of 45 minutes.

It was now bit after 3 PM, and the crew got the cat headed back to port. We were able to see the same scenery on the way back, but the sun was lower in the sky, providing better light for picture taking. We were back in port by 4 PM, allowing one last hour of shopping in port before making it back to the ship before the 5 PM departure. All the shops in Antiqua were right by the ship, so this was no problem.

All of this for $90 per person. A fantastic value in my book. It was a glorious day, well deserving of all the accolades it has received. It comes with our highest recommendation!

Once back on board, we were exhausted from our days journies and had enough sun that we simply relaxed in our cabin until meeting in the Concierge Lounge for drinks at 7 PM. We only had an hour to discuss our day – it was TV Tune Trivia in the Schooner Bar at 8 PM. It was a tough crowd tonight – One group got all the answers correct – we got one wrong (a three way tie for 2nd). The prize were small picture books – a nice gift. Then it was off to dinner. BTW, the 2nd place team from Toronto on night one was named Ennio & Christine.

Tonight is Caribbean Night, highlighted by the breaded Tilapia. My wife had a Shrimp and Crab Salad, Grilled Chicken off the alternative menu, and then the BBB for Desert (Bailey’s Banana Brule’). I had the Chicken Soup, a salad, the Shoulder Beef and the Tilapia. For desert I had the BBB and the TriCocolate Medley. Ummmm. Yummy!! The waiter staff did a special dance for everyone tonight, finished by making all rise and do the Macrena. Yikes!! J

Our after dinner consisted of losing our daily allotment in the Casino, then consoling ourselves in the Champaign Bar before turning in around midnight. We were tired from our day in the air and water. As we fell into slumber, we could hear the sounds of the dance under the stars dance around the pool. The Latino beat did not disturb – it soothed.

Some daily details:

- Showtime Spotlight was the Comedy of Rick Starr

- Win-a-Cruise Bingo – One game only (9:45 p.m.)

- The Love and Marriage Game Show was tonight at 10:30. It’s always funny – but we’ve been there-done that.

- The already mentioned Dancing Under the Stars Party was tonight at 11:30

- The Drink of the Day was “Green Tea”

- The Wine Tasting Seminar was at 3 PM.

- The Belly Flop Competition was at 4:30 PM

Off to bed – tomorrow promises to be another busy day – a tour with Cosol in St. Lucia.

[Emi's Mom]

Thank you for such vivid descriptions of your day, it seems as though I am traveling with you :)

[cyscopup]

Hey BuyReallyLow--- If at all possible could you get a message to Staff Captain Michael Tamney for us. Let him Know Randy & Lori from the Panama Canal cruise said hello and to check his e-mail and his e-mail spam folder also. He is a very nice gentleman from the US and we wanted to let him know we would be back onboard Serenade in October to Hawaii.

 

You can drop a note off at Guest Relations and he will get it.

 

Thanks!!!!!:cool: :cool: :cool: We appreciate the assist.

[vivig]

Thanks for getting the names..not the same couple that I was referring to.

 

Your "Live" reports make me feel that I am right there cruising with you on the Serenade of the Seas. We ABSOLUTELY loved this itinerary!

 

BTW...You have a wonderful style in writing.

 

Can't wait for tomorrow's update:)

[shevais]

You should ask Raul for a cherry diet coke, it's what my wife was drinking most of the week last week. Oh how I miss it dearly... only 9 months to go until we're back on her!

[Pappy64]

Spoke to my business partner around 4:20 today as they were sailing past the Pitons. So I guess that feature is back on. He said that St. Lucia is the most beautiful island he has seen.

[dlwv99]

Glad your are having fun on you trip. I was wandering if their was Texas Holdem Poker on the ship and was their anybody playing.

[BuyReallyLow]

Spoke to my business partner around 4:20 today as they were sailing past the Pitons. So I guess that feature is back on. He said that St. Lucia is the most beautiful island he has seen.

 

They did do a slow turn in front as they passed. It was during the gloaming - (just pass sunset) and the Pitons were silloeted (sp?). Did not have my Camera, but we had a nice view from the Concierge Lounge.

[shevais]

we had sailed past the pitons, but we did not do the pivot... I will be very curious to know if this event is back on, and will only be sligtly disappointed. We did see the Pitons up close and personal on COSOL's tour though!

[BuyReallyLow]

Castries, St. Lucia – December 5, 2007

We usually don’t look, we overlook.

- Alan Watts

(during parts of this journal, it refers to pictures that are not here due to size constraints. To see the pictures, visit our website www.prosapiaeo.net.)

 

If there is a trick to soulful travel, it is learning to see for yourself. To do this takes practice and a belief that it matters. The difference between pilgrim and tourist is the intention of attention, the quality of the curiosity.

Rilke’s letter to his wife on the week he spent gazing at the paintings of Paul Cezanne in Paris at the turn of the century are equivalent to still-life paintings. This was not the case of a reporter being dispatched to a gallery to report on the daubings of someone already famous, but the result of personal discovery, of Rilke’s experience of being ineffably moved by a single painter on a single day, and compelled to return again and again afterward to deepen his understanding, his very perception.

The traveler soon learns that it is difficult to unlearn a lifetime of habitual seeing, the ordinary perception that gets one through a day at home but is inadequate to the task of comprehending the suddenly unfamiliar, strange, even marvelous things. Mort Rosenblum faces this situation as a foreign correspondent. He has come to believe that reporting is “figurative pilgrimage.” He has to go to the “source” of every story if he going to discover the truth.

“You find who the goddess or god is in every story, whether it’s about the crumbling of the Soviet Union, the old slave markets of Africa, or the new restaurant in France being opened by Alice Waters. It’s a constant. You go to the roots, the sources. When I wrote The Secret Life of the Seine, that’s what I had to do – go to the source, which turned out to be three rivulets – a wellspring that becomes a mighty river.” He appreciates the metaphor of the pilgrimage being a journey with a purpose. “I’m like a pilgrim who’s got to see things for himself. When the imagination is fired, the soul follows.”

After yesterday’s Eli Eco Tour, it would be hard to offer anything that could beat that tour. I would be happy if it could match yesterday. There was only chance that it could happen. That chance….. is Cosol.

Cosol comes highly recommended. Read these boards and you will see. I can say that he did NOT disappoint today.

We did have one hiccup. I neglected to bring my confirmation email. So I did not know (or better said remember) what time to meet. But what Cosol does well is provide his Mobile Phone number on his website. I was able to have Rahul the concierge call and confirm that 8:30 AM was our start time. That was ½ hour earlier than I had guessed, so we had to rush, but we made it out.

During our last visit to St. Lucia, we booked Cosol. We had two Vans, and was probably the most engaging tour guide we have ever had. During our tour, we discussed the various Hurricane’s that have hit the island. During our discussions, we discovered that he had N O idea what a Tornado was. He actually thought that people had a weeks notice before a Tornado hit – just like with a Hurricane. So we set him straight and told him that we would bring a gift during our next visit. As we exchanged emails before this trip, he kept asking what the gift was going to be. We kept him hanging in suspense. JSo as we ran out to start our tour, we brought our gift to him – a copy of the DVD “Twister”. He was absolutely floored! He hugged us both, and said that we HAD to ride with him in his van – I had to ride shotgun and drive if necessary! (Thank goodness that did not happen). Cosol has grown considerably – he is now up to 9 Vans and has taken groups as large as 200+. I think you’ll understand why as we continue.

The ride begins by taking you out of Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, up into the hills surrounding the city. St. Lucia is very mountainous, especially the Southern side. The roads are VERY winding, with numerous hairpin turns. They also drive on what they call the “right” side of the road, which is on your left. I would not suggest renting a car and driving yourself. Car sickness is also a concern – that is one of the reasons that Cosol stops so often for snacks, drinks, and pictures.

Our first stop is once we get to the first hill to overlook the banana plantation fields and get a drink of coconut water. A native slices open a coconut for you and gives you a straw. You do the rest of the work.

Cosol pays for all food and beverages you could want. After filling up, we come down the hill into the valley seen earlier. For as far as your eye can see, there are banana plantations. They grow 4 different types of bananas on the island – 3 of which they export. The sweet bananas are nothing like you would find in our stores at home. They are heavenly. Across the valley we stop again for an explanation of how the banana tree grows and how it bears fruit.

The Blue bag helps protect the bananas from insects and wind. It also facilitates ripening. Each tree grows to full size in approximately 5 weeks and bears fruit once. If you look carefully in the picture, you will see to Cosol’s left a tree with peels around it. Right next to the peels is a new shoot. The Banana tree will send up continuous new shoots. These are cultivated and become the next harvest. Once the tree bears a harvest, the tree is taken down and shredded. It becomes compost, which you can see in the shot above to the left. Looks like woodchips.

After the banana plantations we are taken up out of the valley and into the rainforest mountains. Around each turn (many, many turns!), there are magnificent views over the coast or into the valley of the rainforest. Approximately ½ hour later, we stop for “breakfast”, a huge spread of the best fresh fruit you have ever tasted!! You are not allowed to leave until all the fruit is gone. During your tasting, fresh juice, soft drinks, even beer is served, along with fish bread with hot sauce. I could have eaten all day on the Mangos, Pineapples, Passion Fruit, Coconut, and Grapefruit…. I could go on and on. The entire time Cosol is moving from person to person, explaining, laughing, engaging. This is different from other guides on different island. Often you meet them when they take your money, then turn you over to a driver. Although you may have a different driver than Cosol, like Yellowbird his brother, or his sisters husband, or a different relative (who are ALL fantastic!!), you get the personal touch from Cosol. And that is what makes him different!

Traveling onward we get our first look at the famous Pitons, a twin set of peaks coming right out of the water topping 2000 feet.

To the left of the Pitons in the picture you can also see the Caldera of the islands active Volcano, Hike Soufriere. More on this later. But first, it is on to the Toraille Water Fall and Botanical Garden. This is a beautiful water fall that falls approximately 75 feet, and a wonderful garden with walking trails leading to it. Cosol takes care of the enterence fee here also – which is $2 per person U.S. Outside when done “Big Mamma” and her girls are cooking up a storm with grilled fast bread and fish cakes – all with the Banana Catsup and Banana Hotsauce. There is the Hotsauce for the normal people, and then the stuff that will make your lips numb for the better part of the day. Both have zip. Use your own judgement….

After having our full of Big Mamma’s fantastic cooking (along with the “Mobile Bar” bringing water, Rum Punch (excellent!), Piton Beer, fruit juices, etc.) we head toward where we separate for a few minutes from the rest of the group. At this point you have a choice. If you wish to head to the resort which is between the Pitons for some Beach Time and Snorkeling, you can go there for approximately 2 hours. If you wish to visit the world’s only drive-thru Volcano, and THEN go to the same beach for approximately 1 hour, then one of the Vans will go there. We chose to go to the Volcano and Beach.

The Volcano is more like going to Yellowstone Park and seeing the sulphur pots and hot springs. There is no lava – it is just an active thermal spot due to the magma chamber that is still beneath this spot. The Volcano has not erupted since the late 1700’s – but it is due. It is measured constantly with Seismographs and scientists. The earthquake that hit near Barbados last week was felt in St. Lucia (only about 30 miles away), so everyone was watching closely for any changes. Tremors are common here – about 10 per year. They have already exceeded that number for 2007. The first sign that something might be wrong is if the vents and bubbling pots stopped bubbling – that would mean that the vents are closed and pressure is building. It was interesting (but certainly not kind to the nose!!) stop. The fee of $12 U.S. per person is also picked up by Cosol.

It is now time to head to the beach! The resort (whose name I did not write down!!) is situated right between the Pitons. The beach is beautiful, but according to those that went swimming it is rocky out until the drop off, so water shoes are suggested. Those that snorkel said it was by far the best they have had on this trip, with large lobster, Baracudas, fish a plenty sighted. We sat in the Shade of the numerous Palm Trees and sipped a drink from the hotel bar. We had to purchase these ourselves, but the prices were not outrageous – they in fact were a bit cheaper than on the ship. We were able to stay in this beautiful environment for a bit over an hour, so we feel we got to explore and experience two wonderful things. But it was nice to have the choice for our journeymates who wanted to spend the time snorkeling instead.

From here, it was time to head back toward the ship, but not without first stopping for “lunch”, which was an unbelievably good, sweet and hot loaf of bread made in a local village with cheese inserted. The Bread was so fresh and warm that the cheese melted inside, making for a delicious sub-style sandwich. I could have eaten that every day – but was full! Of course, if you wanted something from the mobile bar, it was available. It was always close by!!

After climbing out of the village of Anse La Raye, we climbed to the top overlook the bay of Marigot and to have some more drinks. Cosol is proud of his island, and all items presented are done by locals. There are people selling crafts and wears at almost everystop. If they bother you at all, Cosol or his drivers are there and you will instantly be left alone. But if you wish…. Shop and barter. We picked up some necklases and trinkets for our daughters. As well, all the drinks, the juices, and the food are from locals in the villages. It is symbiotic – Cosol helps them by providing them a livelihood, and they help Cosol by enhancing the tour.

Here is Cosol(stripped golf shirt) and his drivers. Yellowbird (brother) is in the white hat on his left shoulder. Baptist is in the white golf shirt farthest to the right (picture).

We were almost home, but we had to make one more stop – at the Governors residence and the overlook that looks down over the bay and city of Castries. It provided an excellent photo opportunity.

Cosol had us back in port by just about 3:30 – an hour before the ship set sail towards Barbados. You may wonder what all this cost? $50 U.S. per person. When you consider that all the fees are covered, along with no shortage of snacks, food, drinks…. I feel it was an outstanding value. But more importantly it was done by an excellent person and businessman, Cosol. He has my highest recommendation.

I am putting together a Youtube of some video highlights of this tour, and hope to have it posted soon.

After returning to the ship, we were exhausted!! The past two days have been fantastic, awe inspiring actually. They accomplished what we set out to do on this journey – to experience something of the essence of the island – to speak with the people. Yesterday Eli did a fantastic job of introducing us to the geography and the water. Cosol introduced us to the land, and more importantly, its people. I had a personal conversation with a St. Lucian at each and every stop. Where they are from? What are the schools like? What is the future of the island? It was glorious.

We had reservations at Chops tonight at 6 PM. – Chops is not to be missed during any cruise. I could hear the Crabcakes calling to me. So there was a little time to post on Cruise Critic, get cleaned up, and get down to the Schooner for a drink before dinner. I was worried with all that I had eaten I would not be able to eat at Chopps….. 17 ounces of steak later, I am happy to report that I not only ate well (it is always fantastic), with a great bottle of wine, crab cakes, Onion and Cheese Soup, baked potato…. But I had enough room for the Chocolate Mud Pie (it is to D I E for!!). J

But afterwards, the last two days caught up with the wife and I….. so it was off to our cabin for a quiet night. I am not sure what time we went to sleep, but it was before 10 PM…. And I know I was in my nightgown and cap J by 8:30 p.m. Tomorrow we have plans to really relax – no heading on shore in Barbados for us – just an additional “Sea Day” with no one around. So tomorrows report will be a bit of history I have dug up on Barbados, along with a closer examination of the ship and its nooks and crannies.

Day 5 Information:

- Tonights show is a production showtime starring the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers in Vibe*ology – A journey through popular music from Elvis and the Beatles to Cher and Janet Jackson.

- Latin Fiesta in the Safari Club began at 9:45 P.M.

- “The Quest” – an adult game show we have seen a number of times, enjoyed, but didn’t need to see again was tonight at 10:30 in the Safari Club

- The drink of the day is “Summer Breeze”

- Did you know there is a “Coffee of the Day?” – today is is Keoke Coffee at Café Latte-tudes.

- Trivia tonight was 50’s and 60’s music

Good (early) night everyone…..

BRL

P.S. Make sure to visit the Website www.prosapiaeo.net to see the pictures and video we have taken thus far on board. I am not a professional web guy nor am I a professional photographer – but I hope you like them!