Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[bcummin]

Consider travelling home WITH your walking sticks.

Once I carried a newly purchased cane home with me. After it had gone through the airport X-ray, a man hastily handed it to me to use, assuming that I always used a cane!

 

Last summer we gave away long, pointy umbrellas, assuming that they could not fly with us. Later we noticed that several of those umbrellas were flying on the airplane with us.

 

Thank you so much for taking us along to so many fascinating places. You have worked hard to keep us happy.

 

Barbara

[Flyingfish]

This has been one "fantastic" voyage! And to think, it's not over yet! Thanks so much.

[7toEleven]

Oh please schedule another trip very soon! I am already sad your journey is coming to an end, and hence mine! You have made this dreary winter so much more enjoyable!

 

Waiting anxiously for your next journey!

[WCB]

Report # 122 May 4, 2009 Monday Day at Sea

 

Even though the skies were cloudy with occassional showers, it looks more promising that the sun will come out later. Way fewer people were walking outside this morning....it was just too darn humid and warm.

 

Sometime during the morning, Captain Olav came on the speakers announcing a change in the arrival time at Devils Island tomorrow. Originally, we were supposed to be at the islands at noontime. However, a problem had come up with bunkering fuel in Trinidad, our port for the 7th of May. Captain Olav was told that he would not be able to get the ship fueled at dockside. So a decision was made to get us to the bay of Trinidad sometimes during the wee hours of the morning to get fuel while at anchor. Now that means we will have to pick up speed to arrive to Devils Island at 10 am, and leave by 4 pm. That was fine with us, because we would still get our six hours to explore the island.

 

Oh yes, the pictures we all have submitted have been put on display for the photo contest. There were three categories...wildlife, landscapes, and people. There were at the most, 38 photos per category. and they were given a number from one to twenty-eight, not by the stateroom number. Much better idea. But there were still a few passengers that solicited votes by passing out the numbers on their pictures. Isn't this supposed to be just for fun? We felt that all of the photos were worthy of praise!

 

The port lecturer, Barbara, gave her final talk on the last two ports of Barbados and St. Barts, one of the few places we have not seen in the Caribbean yet.

 

Melvin Foster lectured on Captain James Cook, and Bill Harris spoke about the sights and sounds of half a century of showbiz.

 

We finally got CNN, TNT, the Cartoon Network, and ESPN back on our room TVs. We believe it is coming from South America. And from watching the news, we learned there are still reports of pirate activity around the Gulf of Aden, and the Seychelles.

 

I met Millie, our friend from Seattle, for lunch at noon, while Bill emailed and walked his 6 miles. Millie has been plagued by the cold that seems to be going around the ship. She did visit the ship's doctor, and is taking decongestants, but she said she will feel better when she gets back home. That's coming around pretty quick now!

 

Captain Olav came on the speakers again with an updated message concerning Devils Island tomorrow. The officials in Trinidad have found him a dock where we can get fuel bunkered, eliminating the need to get there early. So now our arrival time to Devils Island will be 11 am and we will leave at 5 pm. Wonder how much fuel we had to waste getting to where we are now?

 

When we came back to our room, we could not see our balcony......the rest of our luggage, 10 pieces in all, were stacked five feet high on our bed! We got busy, packing five of them, leaving enough clothes to last for one week. Yesterday, we thought we had lots of space left, and may be going to send some bags home empty. But now, it looks like all of our stuff will just fit.

 

Dinner was great tonight. We ordered the pork chop and chicken entrees, along with the meat lasagne to split between us. The dessert was even better,,,strawberry shortcake....good. We're enjoying dinner more now, since we have been skipping lunch.

 

The entertainer tonight was Fabio Zini, an Argentinian-born musician with German and Italian parents.

 

The show in the Wajang Theater was "The Pirates of the Caribbean : at World's End". We're not sure if we have seen it yet, but hope to watch it tomorrow night.

 

If all goes as planned, we should be in Devils Island soon.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[wander]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

Thank you so very much for the wonderful travelogue. I looked forward to each segment. I enjoyed reliving our experiences on the WC 2007 when you revisited the same ports, and enjoyed "being with you" on ports we have not been to. Thank you! I am almost as sorry to have you arrive home as I am when our cruises end. I also enjoyed your comments about escorts Ellen and Tom - two wonderful people to travel with.

[Cruzin Terri]

Mary Ann and Bill,

I have been following your journey from day one. I see that you will be in Barbados on Friday, May 8. I am presently in Barbados and will be here until May 16. MY husband and I would love to meet you. We have a car and would do whatever you would like to do.

Email me at tbrein@hargray.com.

Terri

[kjunea]

I have finally caught up with everything and have thoroughly enjoyed all the commentary. I made a list of all your ports and used the world map in my classroom to mark off your journey with an Expo Marker. I then talked with my 8th graders about the wonderful places you have seen, how you've had to move your clock backwards, etc. Your commentary has been very inspirational to me and to my students! Thank you so much for opening the eyes of my urban students and establishing "wanderlust" in some of them to visit the places you have so vividly described.

 

June

[DFD1]

kjunea: What a great idea!...to use this commentary as a teaching aid.

 

I was inspired as a 7th grader by my teacher who had just returned from having been in the army and stationed in Germany. He brought his pictures and stories to class...and changed my life forever.

 

I'm sure you will have a wonderful and positive impact on your students. All the best!

[WCB]

Report # 123 May 5, 2009 Tuesday Devils Island, French Guyana

 

While we were walking on the promemade deck after breakfast, we spotted the three islands that make up Iles du Salut, or the Salvation Islands, in the distance. These very small islands, just six nautical miles off the coast of French Guyana, were used by the French for penal colonies in 1852.

 

Harsh and unbearable conditions were said to have caused the deaths of over 80,000 prisoners here, including their guards and their families. Malaria and yellow fever were prevalent in this entire area, probably contributing to the high death toll.

 

In 1952, the prison closed forever, leaving behind the remains of the prison cells, old barracks, a chapel and hospital, and the lighthouse, all on Ile Royale, the largest of the three islands. Ile du Diable, Devils Island, and Ile Ste. Joseph are not accessible to the public, but can be viewed from Ile Royale.

 

If you recall, the movie "Papillon", was based on ex-convict Henri Charriere's time while exiled to Devils Island. Actually, the fictional tale was based on real stories related from other prisoners. The movie revolved around Henri's relationship with Captain Dreyfuss, an innocent Jewish convict, who was eventually freed in 1906. Charriere's name, Papillon, means butterfly, which was tatooed on his chest.

 

The tendering process began after 11 am, but was very slow due to rough seas and strong currents. For that reason, two gangways were set up in order to transport passengers quicker. By the time we got our tender tickets, our number was group number 37! They were only calling # 21 by 12:30, partly because the first tenderboat broke down, and had to bring everyone on it back to the gangway. Sometimes, it does not pay to be the first ones off! Now we were down to three boats tendering.

 

We were in no particular hurry to get there, since this will be our fourth time to visit here. Our number was called after 1pm, just as it started raining. No problem, we just threw two umbrellas in our bag, and proceeded down to the aft gangway.

 

It was a miracle that no one got hurt boarding the boats! The waves had those boats popping four feet above and under the gangway. We have seen the tendering process halted with with seas far less dangerous than these. Once again, the well-trained crew members assisted most everyone aboard the bouncing boat.

 

We had a short ride to the landing on the 70 acre Ile Royale. And because it was sheltered from the wind and waves, getting ashore was a piece of cake.

 

Thankfully, the rain had stopped, so we turned right (when everyone else was turning left) and headed for the road that wrapped around the shoreline. It was a much longer walk to reach the buildings on the top of the island, but we had time to spare and needed the exercise.

 

It's hard to imagine that such a pretty place could have harbored such a disturbing past. As Devils Island came into our view, we saw the rock pylon that held the cable that was used to transport food and supplies to the tiny island. The worst of the prisoners were isolated there. Even though the distance between the islands is 650 feet, it was considered escape-proof. The currents are extremely strong, and there are sharks everywhere. In fact, when a prisoner died, he was fed to these sharks. How gruesome is that? And in time, 70% of the convicts sent to Devils Island died.

 

The trail eventually led us up the steep stairs to the small hotel on the top. We stopped for cold sodas and a little shopping. Everything here was very expensive, priced in Euros. We had just enough change in Euro, leftover from last year's trip, to buy the cold drinks. The restaurant and the little shop was so crowded, we had to squeeze in sideways!

 

We continued our hike, seeing the old barracks and prison cells that were in bad shape, deteriorating in the harsh weather over the decades. They did recently have new roofs installed on the ruins. The chapel, lighthouse, and prison hospital were still intact and well-preserved.

 

In the center of the complex, was a large swimming hole ,that was used by the guards empty now except for a lone lizard. Surrounding the pool, were chickens, peacocks, and pheasants. Cages containing noisy macaws drew a lot of interest from the passengers.

 

We made our way to the the helicopter pad, and down the rocky steps to the children's cemetery. Some of these kids, children of the guards and their wives, lived only a few months to a couple of years old, probably dying from the tropical diseases. Very sad.

 

From here, we walked the footpath that took us to the wooded monkey area, a place we had found back in 2003. By making some noise with snack packages in my bag, we drew the troupe of monkeys, young and old, onto the roadside to get some close-up photos. We had no intention of feeding them, because the last time we were here, the small monkeys climbed right up a gal's legs using their sharp claws. Yikes, that must have hurt!

 

Eventually, we found the less used trail that circled the island near the water's edge. It took us at least 40 minutes of very scenic hiking to reach the boat landing. Since it was almost 4:30 pm, two tenderboats were waiting to gather up the last of the stray passengers. Yep, that was us!

 

Again, it was an adventure getting back on the ship. We have learned that it is better to take our time leaving the boat under such conditions. It is important to never let go of the hand rails, because you can be pitched headfirst in a heartbeat!

 

Once the tenderboats were hauled up, we were on our way after 5 pm. We watched from our verandah as the infamous islands disappeared behind us. We're sailing northwest towards the island of Trinidad now, and should be there in two days.

 

Bill had an appointment at 5:30 pm to get the last of his haircuts. This worked out well, and the price was right.

 

All-in-all, it was a fun day on Devils Island. To top it off, we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill restaurant, ordering the bone-in ribeye steaks again. We never tire of their delicious flavor. And the desserts of chocolate volcano cake and bread pudding with whiskey sauce were pretty good too.

 

Showtime featured an Irish comedian by the name of Paul Brogan. Our time to go see him was at 6:30 pm for a change, but we failed to see that printed in the daily newsletter. Oops!

 

And the clocks went back one hour tonight, for the last time on the 2009 world cruise! Since we left Ft. Lauderdale last January, we have finally gained back the 24 hours we lost while crossing the International Dateline a few months ago. Cool!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 124 May 6, 2009 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

We're now sailing west, passing some of the northeastern countries of South America. We will pass Guyana and part of Venezuela as we head for the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea.

 

Captain Olav mentioned during his afternoon talk that we have left behind the strong currents of French Guyana, and have picked up the trade winds, which should assist our sailing.

 

We did have some rain in the early morning, but it turned out to be a nice, warm day......good enough for sunbathing.

 

Barbara gave her port talk on Ft. Lauderdale for the remaining 360 guests that are continuing on towards New York, and a total of 1100 guests going from NYC to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Her final lecture for the world cruise 2009, will be on New York City, her hometown.

 

Pat Pearson gave an inspirational lecture on attitude and longevity, while Melvin Foster spoke about women pirates, hellions of the sea lanes. Gosh, we didn't know there was such a thing!

 

Ellen, our friendly hostess, joined us in the Crows Nest, mainly because her invited company never showed up. She had planned on bringing the Unexpected Boys to our dinner table this evening, until she found out that we had a full table for 10. Last week, Leslie had invited us to their table on deck five, but we thought they might like a change of scenery for one night. Therefore, Leslie, Handler, Ginny, and Rich accepted our invite to our table. It was fun completing the circle of our large table for a change. And to make it even better, the menu offered the 22 ounce t-bone steaks, probably for the last time this cruise. George, Bill, and I were game, and ordered them. These "mastadon" steaks filled the entire plate! Needless to say, we could only eat half of them, but they were sure good.

 

The Wajang Theater was showing a promising flick called "Evening", with a pretty good cast. We'll try to watch it tomorrow.

 

Showtime featured the pianist Sasha Kovalyov, perhaps a musician from the Ukraine. He will be playing classical pieces. We are sure that his show will be enjoyed by the passengers.

 

Tomorrow...............a new port for us......Port of Spain, Trinidad!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS Wonderful friends, June and Richard, sent a quote that we felt needed sharing. "Every 60 seconds you spend angry, upset, or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back!! AMEN!!

[Traveller1]

Thank you so much Mary Ann & Bill. What a journey and you have described it all with so much imagination and descriptiveness. I have been reading it aloud to my husband and we have enjoyed it immensely.

I hope you have a chance to do another cruise and write about it to us all again.

We leave for New York and the Rotterdam ourselves !

Thanks a million , Wendy & Al

[preciouspup]

to Mary Ann and Bill. I think the green light means you are on line now. Thank you so much for sharing your trip.

[WCB]

Report # 125 May 7, 2009 Thursday Port of Spain, Trinidad

 

We arrived to a rainy Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago around 8 am this morning. Funny, the daily newsletter says "sunny" with temperatures in the high 70's. Here we go again, bringing the rain with us!

 

Trinidad, an island of 2000 square miles, and her "little sister", Tobago, just 20 miles away, is one of the most properous and stable democratic nations in the Caribbean.

 

Their major industries include banking, petroleum, petrochemicals, natural gas, and tourism. The main exports are agricultural produce, asphalt and bauxite from the Guianas, and iron ore from Venezuela.

 

Trinidad and Tobago were settled by the Spanish in the late 1500's. They were invaded by the British in 1797. That's when the British colonial government took over. In 1962, Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence, and by 1976, they severed their links with the Britain Monarchy, and became a republic within the Commonwealth.

 

Even though this is our first visit to this Caribbean island, we did not book a tour. We think we have reached the point of being "toured-out"!! And according to Barbara's talk on the Port of Spain, we will be docked at King's Wharf, right near the town's center. We should be able to walk to see a lot of the major sites, keeping an eye out for a store that sells cardboard boxes. We still need to find something to ship that darned giraffe and walking stick home!

 

The rain finally eased up by 10 am.. ...a good time to leave the ship and check out the new terminal building. It wasn't exactly like other malls we have seen on this trip, but the terminal did have a few nice shops.

 

The best place there was the information center, where we picked up a detailed map, complete with all the street names. Typically, the maps that the ship gives us are not detailed enough, and are sometimes obsolete.

 

The information lady recommended a route to walk that would take us to the "Magnificent Seven", a row of estate homes and landmarks. One thing that the lady said made us a little nervous. She checked to see what kind of jewelry I was wearing, and said I was probably OK. Well, what does that mean? She said that the Queen's Park Savannah could be a little bit dangerous, but mostly at night. Even though she felt we'd be OK, it still made us keep any eye on our surroundings.

 

On our way up one of the main streets from the pier, we ran into a small Fed Ex store, complete with a guard, who let us in the locked door. Hmmmm, lots of security around here. It would have been great if they had boxes to sell, but they did not. The one employee did recommend another packing company near the pier. We can swing by there on our way back.

 

Oh well, onward and upward! We continued to Queen's Park Savannah, a huge park that used to be a sugar plantation in the old days. Now it is used as sporting grounds, a race track, for local concerts, and Carnival events.

 

Speaking of Carnival, Trinidad's Carnival is one of the oldest and most spectacular in the world. Steel drums and calypso music fill the air during the two day occassion celebrating the start of Lent. Creative and colorful costumes are worn by thousands of dancing participants, who prepare for this event months ahead.

 

A new structure is being built now near the bottom of the park for the Carnival event. It appears to be a very futuristic design.

 

Right across the street from the park are the city's finest old buildings. On the lower corner is the Queen's Royal College, now a private boys school. It also houses a British-style clock tower.

 

Hayes Court, Millefleur, and Rumor, all old residences, are built in between the college and the Archbishop's Residence. The Moorish-style White Hall is the Prime Mimister's Office.

 

Stollmeyer's Castle is designed on Scotland's Balmoral Castle. It has a wrap-around Italian marble arcade. Most of these buildings were covered in scaffolding, because they are in the process of being refurbished.

 

That was about as far as we intended to walk. Despite the cloudy overcast, the weather was oppressively hot and humid. It has a way of zapping your energy quickly!

 

We cut down through the park, heading back the way we came, more or less. The traffic was getting heavy, making it difficult to cross the wide streets. There were few stoplights for pedestrians here, and the drivers do not always stop.

 

We finally found the small packing store near the pier. However, this place sold tiny gift boxes and take-away containers for food. The largest box they had was for shirts. Well, that won't work.

 

Disappointed with our search, we walked back to the ship by 3pm. Even though we were very hot and thirsty, we took the time to look over the handicraft tables set up pierside. They had the usual souveniers we've come to see at almost every port. In five minutes, we found a shotglass, a hat pin, and a handmade jewelry set with the country's flag colors in it.

 

Inside the air-conditioned terminal, we went to a shop that was selling hand-painted t-shirts. This fellow's items were the nicest we have seen on this trip. Bill chose a high-quality yellow shirt with bamboo painted down one side. But it was missing the name of the islands. The artist said, "No problem"! He whipped out his black paint, and added Trinidad and Tobago to the design. How neat! Since it needed time to dry, he gave us the hangar it was on, and used clothes pins to keep the paint from smearing. All this for $23!!

 

We looked a bit strange walking through the xray stop on the ship with the shirt on a hangar, but the security guards just laughed and motioned us through.

 

We must have polished off 2 quarts of water when we reached our room. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a good movie on TNT, snacking on roasted almonds, salsa, and chips.

 

By the time we had a few drinks in the Crows Nest, we were not hungry for dinner. And for some reason, nothing appealed to us on the dinner menu. A better plan was to skip the dining room, and order room service. So that's what we did. We had salads and sandwiches, and the best apple pie ever.

 

Tomorrow, our port of call is Barbados!

 

See you then!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[markf]

Just curious after such a long trip--are you happy to be leaving--your information has been entertaining and interesting--thanks for taking the time --will you be doing this again--I am not sure i could really handle this type of trip--would like your insight --

[kryos]

Just curious after such a long trip--are you happy to be leaving--your information has been entertaining and interesting--thanks for taking the time --will you be doing this again--I am not sure i could really handle this type of trip--would like your insight --

 

Thank you for asking that question. It's exactly what I've been thinking. In fact, I would like to know how one re-enters regular life after a magnificent trip such as this one. Is it depressing? Or, rather, is it just great to be getting back home?

 

I fear that if I ever took a trip such as this one, the depression of having it end would darned near kill me. :)

 

I'd be curious to know how others handle it ... or even if there is truly any depression at the end at all.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[markf]

I am in my late 50s and 1 of my goals was to take a round the world cruise--but I really dont know of I could handle it --I got itchy on a recent 10 day cruise--

I know i would gain more weight than I would like--but i guess you do things differently on a long cruise

What I really find a problem is that there many great ports but staying only 1 day in each port may not work for me

[Aussie Gal]

I think the best way to find out it to take longer and longer cruises. We have taken a number of 35 days cruises and I am still unhappy to be leaving the ship at the end of each cruise.

 

I would like to book a section of a Round the World cruise, say 60 days and then I would know for sure how I would manage if it was any longer. I know my DH would not be so happy as he likes lots of days in port and is not so keen on the sea days.

 

Jennie

[RicardoC]

What a great cruise you guys are almost done with! I just foudn this thread and still reading day 4 :eek:...yes I guess I have 'a couple' days to read :p

Anyways....I'll keep reading because that's one of my wishlist tops....I still have some years to retire thou :p...let's say 30 years or 40...:rolleyes:....well hope you guys enjoyed your adventure....looking forward to see pictures and read all about it in this thread....enjoy these last couple days :):cool:

[DFD1]

Markf & Aussie Gal, you have both identified the problems I would have. After a couple of sea days, I begin to want to see something new, but am sometimes frustrated that there is so little time in some really interesting ports.

 

However, In the great scheme of things these are not bad problems to have!

[WCB]

Report # 127 May 9, 2009 Saturday Day at Sea

 

We slept later than usual this morning, and woke up to a very nice, warm, partly cloudy day. The ship rocked and rolled quite a bit all night, due to the prevailing trade winds blowing from east to west.

 

According to Captain Olav, we are sailing at a slow speed of 12 knots, since we are fairly close to our next port of St. Barts.

 

The center of the lower dining room was already busy with the kitchen staff getting ready for today's Grand Show Buffet at noon. We watched as four strong fellows carefully lifted one 350 pound ice sculpture on the pedestal. Chef Bernie, who was directing the set-up, said that these ice blocks are purchased while we are in port, and kept frozen until they are ready for carving. He is so proud of his staff, and the hard work they do to produce this extravagant affair. And he never tires of hearing the compliments from all of us.

 

We did our emailing during the CS chat time on deck five. We just happened to see Charles, who mentioned that he just turned in one of the florist's boxes because it was too big for what he needed. Wow, that's exactly what we needed. So I ran down to the front desk, asked the girls about it, who happened to spot the florist going into the side office. He said he had one left, and promised to deliver it to our stateroom. How's that for luck?

 

We needed four more shipping labels from Fed Ex for our 20 bags. Yeah, we know that's a lot, but that's the beauty of having free unlimited shipping. The Fed Ex girls had their desk set up on deck three in the atrium. Around 11:30 am, we picked up a number, and came back before noon. The wait was short, because they were ready to go to lunch at noon. Our request for labels and the tags to attach to onto our suitcases was a piece of cake. The girl said the labels would be sent to our room this evening.

 

We had 10 minutes to grab the camera and get to the Grand Buffet for photos before the doors closed for lunch. If we missed that time, the displays would be "destroyed"! We got through just in time for the waiting crowd to enter for lunch.

We had brought a roll of duct tape with us, just in case we needed it to fix a broken suitcase. It worked very well securing the box for shipping. We hope it makes it home in one piece!

 

The 16 Fed Ex tags took some time peeling the labels, and placed each one to the tag. Zip lock ties were supplied to secure them to our luggage. We kept the receipts from each tag on a llist, assigning a number to each bag with that bag's description. That way, if one is missing, we will know which one it was. What is actually in each suitcase is a mystery, since we did not pack the same as when we left. Every world cruise that we have had the shipping service, nothing has gone astray. Hope it works this time

 

There was a final farewell cocktail party in the Crows Nest, given by our travel group. The last bottle of Jack Daniels appeared for Bill's use, which was nice of the bartenders to save. It was sad to be saying goodbye to our many friends, new and old. This trip just went WAY too fast!

 

The prime rib entree for dinner was delicious, as was the tangy lemon meringue pie, which sure looked like Mrs. Smiths! We missed the early showtime for us, because frankly, we would never miss the special cocktail party. The Perfect Gentlemen, a group of three or four, sang harmonized melodies from the days of Vaudeville. We heard from our tablemates that they were OK, not outstanding.

 

Tomorrow we will be in a new port for us......St.Barts!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 126 May 8, 2009 Friday Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Our port of call today was Bridgetown, Barbados, a Caribbean island we have visited many times over the years. Part of the West Indies, Barbados exports sugar, clothing, and electrical parts. Their major industries are sugar refining, rum production, and tourism.

 

Barbados was under three centuries of English rule with a folk culture of African origin. They gained full self-government in 1961, and is a member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

 

One interesting fact about Barbados is that George Washington visited this island in 1751, the first US President's only trip abroad.

 

We booked a tour here with our CS group called Scenic Barbados and Fisher Pond House Farewell Lunch.

 

We met in the Ocean Bar at 9 am. There were about 40 in all. Our friend, Millie, joined us, going on her one and only tour of the entire world cruise. Our buddy, Martha, also was in our group. She's always fun to have on a tour.

 

The buses left a little to be desired, once again built for the younger crowd, like kids. We started our tour with a ride north along the west coast, known as the Platinum Coast. Since we were here about 20 years ago, this coastline has changed dramatically. Now there are several beautiful, new resorts and condos....so many we could only catch a glimpse of the gorgeous beach in between the highrise buildings!

 

We passed small seaside towns and picturesque fishing villages on this coastline that faces the calmer Caribbean Sea.

 

Then we turned left at the north end of the island, crossing over the rugged hillsides to see the east coast. At the crest of Cherry Tree Hill, we stopped for the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, and a chance to buy souveniers from three vendors up there. It was so windy, we don't know how the treasures were staying put on the tables. One fellow was selling large dried pufferfish the size of a basketball. They had 2 inch hooked spines coming out of their swollen dried bodies. Thank goodness our suitcases are 99% full, and their asking price was very high. That is one bad-looking fish!!

 

Our two buses drove carefully downhill through the town of Cattlewash, an area where milk cows, goats, and the peculiar short-hair Barbados sheep graze on the hillsides.

 

The Bathsheba district has the stretch of beach used for surfing. It is here that the international competitions are held every year. Our guide said the waves are high, but the water is colder and there is a dangerous undertow. We did not see anyone in the water today either.

 

Next, we had a stop at St. John's Church with one of the oldest cemeteries on the island. There was also a gift shop, no surprise there, and public bathrooms. Leaving the church, was a group of darling little girls from a private school. They just loved having their pictures taken as their teachers hustled them along.

 

Our final stop was at Fisher Pond House, a 350 year old sugar plantation, which has been well preserved over many generations of the same family. John and Rain, the owners, were not at home today, so they left our group to be supervised by their manager. This house has retained its old world grace, with most of the original furnishings and family photos displayed on the walls.

 

We were welcomed with a glass of juice, punch, or wine. Inside the house, two large dining tables, plus two smaller tables were set with the finest collection of china from England. We wanted to find seats for the four of us, saving an end chair for Millie, who uses a walker. We guess we were not quick enough, because those seats were taken right out from under us. A lesson learned!! Those who hesitate, lose their place!! But maybe not. There was a separate table for four in a small adjoining room, and guess who got it? Yep, us....Bill, me, Millie and Martha! We had a gentle breeze blowing from a nearby window, and a quieter table for four!

 

We were the first be served our choice of soups.....a pumpkin or fish soup. The creamy, spicy pumpkin soup was the best, just like we remembered having four years ago.

 

The next course was a trio of starters, served at a small buffet table by the nice manager. She gave us a fish pate, mixed fish salsa, and a slice of flying fish on a bed of baked breadfruit.

 

White and red wines were served as well as cool glasses of water.

 

The entree dishes were spread out, buffet-style, at a long table in the entry hall. The meat items included stewed chicken, slices of pork, and the best batter-dipped and deep fried flying fish. Several West Indies spiced sauces accompanied the meats and fish. A rice and pea dish and a creamy macaroni and cheese pie went well with the meal. Assorted salads were offered with a delicious cold potato salad too.

 

Dessert was an assortment of chocolate mousse, two types of cakes, and homemade ginger candy.

 

We enjoyed it all while listening to the same old fellow we remembered playing piano tunes in the main dining room. It didn't take long before the guests began singing along with the pianist. Some even danced in the aisles!

 

Too bad we had to leave at 2 pm. But all good things must come to an end!

 

The drive back took us through more fields of sugarcane, and finally through small towns with the old chattel houses from the past. These tiny homes were built on rock foundations because the residents did not own the land. When they were made to pay rent on the land, they just moved the house!

 

We got back to the ship by 3 pm, checking out the stores outside and inside the terminal building. Our only purchase were four bottles of Coke Light.

 

It was too late to go to the pool, so we just watched a movie while relaxing in our room.

 

We went to an almost empty Crows Nest, because there was a deck BBQ for dinner this evening. We don't usually go to these BBQ's because we think the food is better in the dining room. Besides they were serving BBQ pork ribs with baked beans and corn on the cob in La Fontaine. Yep, it's the dining room for us! George and John were there as well. The service was super tonight, since there were few of us there.

 

At 9:30 pm, there was a Barbados Spectacular Folkloric Music and Dance Show in the Queens Lounge. We know it will be televised for TV viewing tomorrow.

 

We have one day at sea, then we will be in our last port of Gustavia, St. Barthelemy on Sunday, Mother's Day!

 

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you. We're really been enjoying your reports.

[firefly4423]

All i can say is WOW

[WCB]

Report # 128 May 10, 2009 Sunday Gustavia, St Barthelemy

 

Well, here we are, at our last port of call, Gustavia, St Barthelemy, or St Barts as the English call it. We sailed into the tiny harbor very early in the morning, then dropped anchor. This will be a tender port.

 

This small rocky island of 8 square miles looked like a perfect spot for smugglers and pirates in the old days. In the 16th century, it was indeed! In fact, the main income of the islanders came from money spent by the pirates who repaired their ships here and restocked on provisions.

 

In 1784, St Barts was taken over by Sweden until 1878, when it was handed back to France.

 

Today, St Barts houses a playground for wealthy yacht owners and red-roofed bungalow residents, who enjoy 20 beautiful strands of beaches and coves. High end boutiques keep them enjoying their luxurious lives in style!

 

We did not book a tour here today, since we decided to walk the island instead.

 

Around 10 am, we tendered ashore to the landing right in the middle of Gustavia. We could see the remains of the 18th century Fort Gustav, marked with the fairly new red and white lighthouse.

 

Most of the shops and restaurants were closed since it was Sunday. The mostly French business owners obviously did not need our business. We heard later that we are visiting at the tail-end of the tourist season. The Rotterdam should be the last of the large ships anchored here for several months.

 

We still had a pleasant stroll on the waterfront. The harbor was very pretty with boats and yachts of all sizes anchored or docked pierside. The town was strangely quiet, except for the invasion of the HAL guests roaming the streets and hillsides.

 

Many people were headed to Shell Beach for some quality sunbathing and a refreshing swim in the gentle surf.

 

On our way to find this beach, we took a wrong turn and ended up at the bottom of a steep stairway. We knew it would be worth the climb up the rocky steps, and we were right. The views of the harbor on one side, and Shell Beach below on the other side were spectacular.

 

We walked back down the steep cliff and followed the streets that led to the opposite side of the harbor. We did pass one cafe/bar that was opening for guests.

 

Following the roads signs this time, we found our way to Shell Beach, where we ran into many cruise buddies. This pretty little cove got its name from the millions of tiny seashells that have washed up on the shore.

 

Another interesting fact about St Barts is that the beaches are "clothing optional". Scanning the sunbathers, we did see one young, slender gal topless. It sure didn't bother her that she was surrounded by dozens of HAL cruisers with their baby blue towels scattered everywhere. By comparison, she really did look pretty darn good, especially to the fellows!

 

After gathering a pocketful of pastel colored shells, we started back towards town. Few shops stayed open, but we did find one that had t-shirts, expensive but nice, and shotglasses. Nothing was cheap here since their currency is the Euro. The last store we checked out had hat pins, so that was our final purchase of this world cruise. Then we tendered back to the ship.

 

We had worked up a good appetite by 2pm, so we ordered cheeseburgers from room service. We have to say that room service had the best burgers available on the ship.

 

By 5pm, we went up to the sailaway to find the deck almost empty. By now, most people are seriously considering packing! We were glad that we started that job several days ago, because the last minute stuff really can raise your blood pressure.

 

The Rotterdam sailed away from St Barts by 5pm, with the rain right behind us. We could see nearby St Maarten and St Kitts in the distant clouds as we sailed northwest towards our final destination of Ft Lauderdale.

 

At the formal dinner tonight, the ladies received a long-stemmed pink rose for Mother's Day. And being that it was our last formal, the dining room staff performed the ritual of the "Baked Alaska Parade", much to the appreciation of the seasoned world cruise passengers.

 

And we had gifts....the final ones of the voyage. Bill got a set of sterling silver cufflinks with the HAL ship logo on them. I got a sterling silver HAL logo pendant with a 16 inch sterling silver chain, which can be used for any pendant. Good deal!

 

Well, there are two more sea days ahead, and we will be back in Ft Lauderdale!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[cruz chic]

I can't believe it's almost over. Thanks so much for taking us along with you. It's been a real treat!