Day 190 - Roseau, Dominica

Argh! Another migraine this morning! I’m not sure what’s going on with these headaches, but I’m pretty fed up with them! Two in a week!? I was sick to my stomach with this one as well! A wave of nausea washed over me & then it was time to make a move! Shortly after I was done being sick, the auras came along. And shortly after that, the pain settled in. I was hot & cold & hot & cold. I finally fell into a deep sleep around 1000 & woke up at noon.

Jaco & I had planned on visiting Champagne Reef. We still managed to head out, just a little later than expected. We found a taxi driver, Avon, & he agreed to take us on the 15 minute drive out to the location. Valentina was allowed off the ship, so of course, she came with us. We headed down the steps & along the boardwalk, trying to pick a good spot to enter.

I scuba dove Champagne Reef on Valentine’s Day in 2007 & it was amazing! I saw my first seahorse here! I also ripped the butt out of the Divemaster’s wetsuit, but that’s another story! Anyhow, Champagne Reef is very unique. The gases from below the Earth’s surface escape & travel through the water as bubbles. Since the gases are warm, you feel like you’re swimming in a bathtub & when you add in the bubbles, it looks like you’re swimming in a glass of champagne! It’s very unique!

I wanted Jaco to experience the same thing & so here we were! We didn’t have snorkels or fins, only masks. Jaco is a strong swimmer, so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem. I, on the other hand, am not a swimmer, at all. I waded in to the chilly water – brrr! It was overcast today & raining off & on, making the water extra cool. I plopped my head into the water to have a peek & to my surprise, there were plenty of fish right there! I didn’t last long though, as the little fish kept nipping at my legs! Eew! If I had my snorkel gear, I could have swam away a little quicker, but no luck. Jaco swam out & took a few photos. He managed to find an area with bubbles coming up & spent some time investigating. I was happy he was able to experience it!

As usual, Valentina didn’t enjoy the water in the least. I put her on a big rock & she didn’t like that either. She was plum happy to roam around, sniff & mark her turf! She wasn’t even interested in her ball today! I think I will be understating it, when I say she will be happy to be home… But when I saw the photo of 3’ of snow at home, perhaps she wouldn’t mind the sand & sea a little longer! :o)

We drove back into town, enjoying wonderful conversation with Avon. He voice sounds like Morgan Freeman, with an accent. He told us of his daughter, a Doctor in Atlanta & his son, an IT Specialist, also in the USA. We discussed politics in South Africa, life in the Caribbean & Dominica. He was very interesting to visit with.

Avon dropped us off at a fabric shop. I had been there in 2007 & purchased some beautiful African print fabric. It is still in the plastic bag I received it in, but one day I will sew something with it & the new beautiful fabrics I bought today!

While I was having the fabrics measured, the lady helping me asked me about my neck. I shared a little bit of my story with her. I shared my eczema issues & she immediately grabbed some paper & scribbled some things down on it. She directed me to the nearby pharmacy where I could find it. While she was telling me about the products, her friend came in & commented on one of the fabrics I selected. She said she was going to come back tomorrow & pick up the fabric & have a dress made from it. When she heard I was after some special goods, she said she’d take me to the pharmacy to help me out. Wow! People here are so friendly & helpful!

On our way to the Pharmacy, she tells me that she used to live in Barbados – for 30 years! The lady in the shop was her good friend before Barbados & now after too! She took me in to the Jolly Pharmacy & we picked up 3 bars of Carbolic Soap & some Common Vaseline. When I inquired about a wig, she told me to wait until tomorrow & head to King Shepard’s or Cave Shepard’s. Apparently there is a wig shop there with better prices & great selection! Marvelous! I thanked her for her help & the insight for tomorrow & she was on her way.

I headed towards the ship, but was distracted by another shop. It was a beautiful boutique with great hats, jewelry & clothing. And everything was 50% off! Ha! I finally found a collapsible beach hat that I like! While I was paying for my things, I told the lady the hat would be covering my bald head in a few weeks. I shared my situation with her. She was so compassionate. She grabbed my hands & said, ‘You poor sweet thing!’ She then shared with me that she had recently experienced Guillain Barre Syndrome, which she caught from a certain type of fish. Fortunately hers was ascending, or possibly descending, one is less harmful than the other, but is was still something to cope with! She demanded my contact details because she wanted to know how I was doing & gave me a giant hug when I left the shop.

As I walked back to the ship, I was flabberghasted to reflect upon the kindness & generosity shown to me in the last hour. Wow! What a place! I look forward to returning to Dominica one day soon!

Once back on the ship, I paid the $4 fee for Valentina’s permit, visited with the amazing lady responsible for arranging Valentina’s permission to go ashore & picked up some postage for a few postcards. I headed back to Jaco’s office to see what he was up to. I then realized we needed to call my Oncologist if we were going to get it done before the weekend. To my amazement, all Jaco had to do was say ‘This is the Doctor phoning’ & they patched him right through.

Most of my questions were answered & my only disappointments were the travel restrictions. The Oncologist said I should not travel. At all. I am going to clarify, as I have a feeling he is thinking a long journey to Africa & not a quick trip to Victoria… We’ll see! My next issue of concern is the Fertility Clinic. I’m not sure what the charges will be, but I have a guesstimate that it will be around $10,000.  Jaco will have to leave a ‘specimen’ in Fort Lauderdale, have it frozen & flown to Calgary. Then I would have to take some VERY expensive drugs, have anaesthesia to harvest eggs & then have an embryo made. I’m not sure if there will be time before I start chemo or if there will be money available to do all of the above.

So, there are a few more things on my mind than just wigs! On a nice note, Valentina saw me getting ready for bed tonight & crawled right into her kennel all on her own. What a good girl! Oh, she has also started ‘intercepting’ Jaco & I’s kisses. As soon as she sees or hears us kissing, she has to jump up & add her kisses to ours. I told Jaco tonight, he better be careful… One of these times he’ll mistake her tongue for mine! Ha ha & gross at the same time!

On that note, here’s a few sloppy, wet kisses… Lekker slaap!

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxox

En route to Champagne Reef

Papa rescues Tweet Pea

Do you think she's missing snow right about now?

Tiny bubbles

Ouch! Urchin anyone?

Here fishy, fishy, fishy

We always have stunning weather when we set sail

Beautiful blue skies

One last look at Dominica.

Day 189 - Antigua

Wow. What a day! I should be completely exhausted, but surprisingly I’m not. I’m feeling a little unsettled, like I can’t quite get comfortable. I haven’t been sleeping well. It’s almost like my body is still on Pacific time. I can’t fall asleep until about 0200 or 0300 & even then, it’s not a deep sleep. I toss & turn & visit the loo throughout the night. Finally about 0600 or 0700 I will fall into a deep sleep.

I had just found a deep slumber when the announcements began. Today were crew drills. The ship’s company practice emergency situations so they are well prepared when one finally arrives. It’s generally well organized & they do a great job of preparing the crew. Unfortunately the drills usually fall the morning after a really good disco or party & most of the crew aren’t too excited to be there! Needless to say, they make announcements over the PA system & of course, it broadcasts in Jaco’s cabin. So much for that deep sleep!

I finally rolled out of bed about 1100, as I was meeting Eddie at noon for a photo shoot. Valentina wasn’t allowed off the ship today, so Jaco would spend the afternoon with her. Eddie had sussed out a location the cruise before & asked me to come along. As it turned out, we were only leaving at 1300. (I could have used that extra hour of sleep!)

I met him by the gangway & he introduced me to Johnny, a Puerto Rican dancer & our model. We found a taxi & headed out to Fort James. We pulled up to a fairly deserted beach & made arrangements to meet our cab driver in a few hours.

We strolled down the beach, a few locals & a few tourists dotted here & there. We met 2 horseback riders, although I must say, the horses were a bit worse for wear.

We walked clear to the end of the beach to a huge building called ‘Russell’s’. The building resembled a plantation home. It was blue & white with two floors & a wrap around veranda. The owner, Russell, greeted us. He was wearing a beige linen button shirt & gold rimmed glasses. He looked cool as a cucumber, with a  bald head, a brilliant smile & a firm handshake.

His restaurant hosted live jazz music on Friday & Sunday nights. What a location! Russell’s was right on the point, so beach could be seen on both sides of the restaurant. We enjoyed a cold drink & then headed to the other side of the restaurant. Fort James was old & crumbling, but the buildings made for a fun backdrop for our photo shoot. There were still a few cannons lying around, along with graffiti on the walls of the building interiors.

We were sweating like crazy in the afternoon heat, but it was a fun way to spend it! Eddie had expected me to run the shoot, but I was just there for the ride. I was quite content to let him ‘call the shots’.

A few locals came by to paint some of the building. I’m not sure how much painting they were going to do, as only one lady painted & it was only about a 4’ square before she decided to sit down for a beer. She offered us a cold beer, but we declined. As we were leaving, her group offered a beer again. Then they kept saying, ‘Mary Jane’, ‘Mary Jane’. Yes, I’m a naïve little country girl. I’m thinking, ‘My name is Jill. Or Maria. Not Mary Jane! What are they on about?’ A moment later, I realized that Johnny & Eddie were declining Mary Jane. Oh, I see!!!! Yeah, NO.

We had planned on eating at Russell’s, but ran out of time, so we said our farewells & headed to the beach. We snapped a few more pics & then it was time to go. NOTE: Why is it that Speedo’s are still legal in come countries? I mean, really, REALLY?! NO! It’s just wrong. Any way you look at it! And I mean that VERY literally!!! I told Johnny & Eddie, both offenders, that Speedos were actually illegal in Canada. They believed me & were quite heartbroken when I told them. They didn’t get it that sometimes less is just WAY TOO MUCH! Now, for some more coverage – of the day…

Back in town, Eddie & I had a gelato & check out the shops. I saw this really sweet leather bag, clearly handmade. I asked the lady how much it was. $20. (I’m thinking ‘cheap!’) So I said, ‘Get outta town!’ She replies, ‘Okay, you can have it for $15.’ Hah! Even better! We also went wig shopping. Eddie took a few pics of me in the wigs & well, you’ll just have to wait & see! I bought two of them. Now if only I could find the eyebrows & lashes too!

Eddie had to work soon, so he headed back onboard. I wandered around for a bit, was accosted by the nearest thing I’ve ever seen to a real live Jack Sparrow. I was on the boardwalk passing the pirate ship that had just come in, when this old man starts talking to me. I can smell the rum on his breath. He’s missing quite a few teeth. His clothes are dirty, as is the bandana on his head. He has dreadlocks & a scruffy, long white goatee. I was about to ask him if I could take his photo when he asks me for a couple of bucks. Hmm. No picture I guess. Only memories. Funny thing is, every time I think of him I get this burning urge to wash my hands & brush my teeth…

I headed onto the ship after Jack Sparrow wouldn’t leave me alone. I was luckily able to escape by walking the plank through security – Mr. Sparrow didn’t have the magical cruise card! I went up for a bite to eat & then out to watch sailaway. We were in port with Royal Caribbean’s second largest ship, Adventure of the Seas. When I went out on deck, we were eye to eye with their Navigational Bridge. A bunch of the Officers were standing near the windows & they hand a giant hand to wave goodbye as we sailed away. They saw me taking a photo & they ‘waved’. It was cute. Then, the announcement comes over our PA system that we are about to sailaway. It is tradition to sound the ship’s horn three times when you sailaway from port. So, Sea Princess gives a big ol’ woot, woot, woot on the horn. (Think fog horn) In response, which doesn’t normally happen, the Adventure of the Seas, gives us a woot, woot, woot back! So the Sea Princess gives another little woot. Then the Adventure of the Seas gives another little woot. I’m laughing so hard I’m crying as I’m typing this. It may not sound funny AT ALL to you, but it was stinking hilarious to me! It was like two little boys playing with their noisy toys. Mom says BE QUIET! They say okay. Then they have to make just a little more noise, just to push Mom’s buttons! Anyhow, I have most of it on video. One day I’ll figure out how to upload it onto the blog & share it with you!

The Medical Team had organized a dinner at the Steakhouse for this evening. It was really nice to sit down with them out of work & enjoy their conversation & company. We had some interesting topics come up, as you do – Fox hunts, battery hens, cameras, Mac computers, dogs, Irish jigs, Aussipinos and the list goes on! I was well impressed by the Senior Nurse & Doctor – They both ate about 20 oz of steak! My tummy churns at the thought of it! In any case, it was a wonderful evening!

And that, my friends, was a wonderFULL day in Antigua. Sun, sand, photography, shopping, friends & food. Come to think of it, this may very well have been THE Perfect Day. Ha! I’m off to bed… Maybe it can get a little better! :o) Just kidding! Mom, you didn’t read that! Or if you did, you better not comment! :o)

Wishing you a Perfect Day too!

Maria, Jaco, & Valentina

xxxxxooooooxxxxxxooooo

Eddie & Johnny chit chat en route to our location... More to follow!

Fun little bicycle & shutters shot

Antigua

Adventure of the Seas 'waving' goodbye!

Adventure of the Seas

Oh how happy can 2 people be?!? I'm so lucky!!!

Tim, the Senior Nurse. Note the number of steaks on his plate. He cleaned it!

Nurse Stacey & Dr. Reuben

Nurse Vicky & Tim, Steak Eating Machine

Johnny rocks a scarf too!

Lookin' fine!

Hello Hot Stuff!

My favourite from the day.

So pensive...

Whoopsee, didn't warn you about this one! :o)

Sorry, 2 men in speedos, I couldn't resist sneaking this shot in! Sorry Eddie! :o) Hope you'll forgive me!

This one too... Speedos just make me gag a little & then giggle a lot!

Day 188 - St. Maarten

Whoo hoo! Another new place to tick off the list! St. Maarten is pretty much a mecca in the Caribbean. Most cruise ships will stop here & on any given day, you're likely to find a few 'boats' in port. Today, we were 4 ships. It was insanity.


The Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, owned by Royal Caribbean, was in port with us. This monster of a boat holds 5000 passengers & I don't even know how many crew! Crazy! I would never want to work on a baby like that! Ugh... The thought of ressi just makes me want to call in sick with Norovirus! Okay, so most of you will have NO IDEA what that last sentence means, but take my word for it, it would not be fun! I'm sure the ship is beautiful & all, but it's a little too 'city-like' for me. Give me my small ship of 2000 passengers (even that is big!!!)


I was very excited to hear that we were also in port with the Emerald Princess. The Medical Centre needed some meds from our ship, so Stacey, one of the nurses, headed over to the Emerald to drop it off. I went along with the hopes of seeing a photog or two. I managed to bump into Jimmy. I worked with Jimmy on the Diamond Princess in 2005. Seems like ages ago! It was great to see him! He's still crazy Jimmy!


Along with Jimmy, Dr. Rudy Bosch was working as Senior Doctor onboard & I was hoping we would get to visit with him. Rudy was Jaco's boss when I sailed with Jaco on the Star Princess. Rudy is like one giant teddy bear & he's a barrel of fun. I have yet to see him in a foul mood & he's always got something interesting to share. 


Unfortunately, Jaco had a dental appointment & missed Rudy's appearance on the ship. Vicky, one of the nurses, worked with Rudy on the Star before I arrived, so they were having a catch up visit when I came to say hello. Rudy is just plain infectious, always with a twinkle in his eye! It's no wonder people request to work with him across the fleet! He is built like a brick potty house & bald as the prairie. When I told him about my chemo situation, he said to send photos & we'll compare bald heads! What a guy! Jaco was very sad to have missed seeing him, as a fellow South African and former colleague, they have a lot in common.


After Rudy left, I took Valentina out & met Eddie to head downtown. We walked for 10-15 minutes & visited a few shops where Eddie searched for some camera accessories. We then headed to the beach. It kind of reminded me of PV or Mazatlan... There were bars everywhere & music blaring & of course, swarms of people. Completely not my scene, but it was fun for a day! We left our things at a bar where Eddie knew the bartender & headed into the water. It was a lovely hot day & the water was very refreshing. We visited with a couple couples enjoying their Carnival cruise. (Carnival's largest ship in their fleet was also in port with us) Valentina hated the water & desperately tried to make a beeline for the shore. Eddie became distracted by the topless sunbathers & I got dizzy rolling my eyes at him! 


After an hour or so, it was time to head back to the ship. Eddie had to work & I had hoped to look around the terminal a bit. Nothing too exciting to be seen, unless you're after an embroidered 'St. Maarten' shopping bag or a pirate t-shirt! What a day! I went up on deck to watch sailaway & to get a bird's eye (sort of) view of the Oasis. I had to take three photos to fit it in!


When I arrived on deck, everyone had British flags they were waving about. I wondered what on earth was going on, but apparently with all our British passengers, they have a British sailaway. They played famous British songs & everyone waved their flags. Okay, I'm down with that. We had a random power outage for about 10 minutes - I asked who forgot to pay the power bill? :o)


Another lovely day in the Caribbean & I'm loving every minute of it. My Babe, my baby, sunshine & the deep blue sea. What more could any girl ask for? Okay, fair enough, good health would be appreciated too. Have a beautiful night...


Maria, Jaco & Valentina 
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Rudy & Vicky - reunited!

Okay, so this photo was taken in March, but I swear it's a mini-Rudy! (It's my cousin's little guy - Rhett!)

Oh so many ships!

Walking down the promenade along the waterfront

Tweet Pea hitches a ride

Oh just please keep me out of the water!

The bartenders & Eddie, the bartender!

A crazy honeymoon couple we met from Mexico. She had one too many Jagermeister's, but she was still fun!

Carnival Dream & Emerald Princess in the distance

British Sailaway

Union Jacks

Oasis of the Seas

Day 187 - Tortola, BVI

Today was Tortola, BVI – British Virgin Islands. I had never been here before & obviously neither had Valentina! Much to my surprise, Valentina was allowed ashore! I had slept quite late & by the time Jaco was finished with clinic, we were ready to head out.

We were on a mission to find a shower water filter. We took a cab to the local plumbing shop & to my complete & utter glee, they had ONE left! Hooray! Oh please let this take away my eczema. Did I mention it’s all over my feet, legs, arms, neck, chest, back, belly, face… Horrid. Simply horrid. I even took drugs for it yesterday! It’s that bad!

After our plumbing stop, we headed downtown. Perhaps we missed the ‘downtown’ others were referring to, or perhaps there just wasn’t really a downtown. In any case, we didn’t see a whole lot, but we enjoyed ourselves. Valentina had a nice long walk & we took her to a little craft market, which was right by the water. I was going to walk her into the water to cool her off a little, when I realized the concrete pad we were standing on was COVERED in urchins! Gulp! Thank goodness I didn’t take her another 2 steps! She would have been one lame puppy!!! Poor thing! Close call!

We wandered along the side streets & checked out the artsy little shops off the beaten path. It reminded me a little of St. Thomas, which is part of the US Virgin Islands. We stopped in a wig shop & the wigs were cheap! $24! I wanted to try a few on, but we didn’t have much cash with us, so onwards & upwards…

We stopped for an Italian gelato – Pink Grapefruit! Yum! Then, it was time to head back to the ship. Jaco had clinic & Tweet Pea was pretty beat. She drank & then slept straight away! I wandered back out for a souvenir & then took her upstairs for my dinner & sailaway. It was really pretty as we sailed out of the harbour. I think Jaco can work in the BVI – that would be fun!

After dinner, I took Valentina to the shops to say hello to a few of the girls she met a few days back. They were completely enamoured with her. In fact, one of the girls was headed on her break & asked if she could take Valentina with her. Away we went to the crew bar. Everyone was excited to see her! She had her fill of cuddles & kisses! Although she was a little disappointed to find out they didn’t serve doggy biscuits at the bar! :o)

Tomorrow is St. Maarten & I’m not sure if Valentina will be allowed off or not. Fingers crossed we can enjoy another day at the beach!

Hugs & kisses,

Jaco, Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Papa susses out the sights

It's a happy tongue!

Local craft market

Cute & kitsch touristy stuff

Investigating the water

She loves her Papa - check out that smile!

Mama's turn!

The Happy Family

Cute lil' side streets with unique shops

Sunset & sailaway

Daniela & Valentina hit up the crew bar!

Day 186 - Samana, Dominican Republic

A tender port today, Valentina had her first small boat ride. She handled it well & didn't even get seasick! They say to keep a fully belly in order to prevent seasickness... I guess she was planning ahead! :o)


I visited the Dominican Republic in December of 1999 with my Mom. It was our first trip together. We went to Puerta Plata with my college group & we had a riot. There were 2 charming firefighters from Red Deer & Winnipeg that we spent a lot of our time with. Adding to that, the Dominicans were wonderful people. They are very friendly & helpful. Lucky for Jaco, I said no every time, but I've never had so many marriage proposals! It was tempting! The men have mulatto skin, but the most beautiful sea green/blue eyes you've ever seen. They are hypnotizing! The last night we were there, a bunch of us stayed up the whole night. We were in a convenience store getting some snacks, when Jose, our translator, told me about a guy who wanted to marry me. He said I should take this one. His father was a Diplomat & they were very wealthy. Ha! How charming! Obviously I said no. 


Anyhow, it didn't take more than 10 minutes ashore to remember the warm hospitality of the Dominicans. They were stopped to talk to me about the dog & asking me if I wanted a tour. When I said no, they kept socializing, rather than moving on to the next guest...


There was a wonderful walkway along the ocean, so Valentina had a nice long walk. There were a few stray dogs, but I quickly popped her back into her carrier & nobody noticed a thing! She charmed a trio from the UK resting on a bench while we made our way into town.


We walked as far as the craft market, which they were starting to pack up. I bought a bottle of water for Valentina & we made our way back. While I walked around the market, I met more people, who only reinforced the friendly, helpful belief I carry about the Dominican Republic. I would love to come back here again.


The D.R. shares its western border with Haiti. I was thinking of Haiti today & wondering how they are doing. We all thought of them when the earthquake happened. But now what? We've all moved on with our lives in our warm, cozy homes with internet & electricity & running water, but they are still picking up the pieces. I can't imagine what it would be like. And here I sit on a luxury cruise ship dotting around the Caribbean. Hmm. Looks like I'll have to figure out something to do to help. Any suggestions out there?


While we stood in line waiting for the tender back to the ship, a few crew gathered around to see Valentina. Eddie was there & of course, helped himself to her. One of the passengers nearby quipped, 'I didn't know you could bring pets onboard.' When I said she was a service dog, she replied, 'I should get my cat on as a service cat.' Oh my. 


Valentina was happy to have some air conditioning once we were back in the room. She ran straight to the bathroom & sprawled out her belly on the cool tiles. Too cute. 


Have a wonderful night wherever your are & don't be shy to leave a comment! I know it's a pain, but you just follow these three easy steps:
1. At the bottom of the post, click on '0 comments'
2. Type your comments in the 'Post Comments' box
3. Select your 'Comment As:' either google, anonymous or otherwise
4. Click on 'Post Comment'
5. Usually it will give you an error & say it couldn't post the comments, click it again
6. Enter in the gobbledy gook letters
7. Voila!


Sunshiny kisses to you!
Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her first tender ride!

Think Enya - '...Sailaway, sailaway, sailaway...'

Boats & a beautiful bridge

Mmm, mangoes ripe for the pickin'!

Wonderful walkway along the water's edge

A pier along the way

Artwork along the ocean