Day 500 - Barbados & Bye Bye

Sigh. I was worried this day would come way too fast. And it did. But I’m pleased to say we made the very most of it. M&D2 disembarked the Sea Princess today. They had a blast.

They called me about 0930 this morning & were at the cabin by 1030. We made plans to leave for Payne’s Bay, where you can snorkel with the turtles. We would find them a hotel room nearby & meet Jaco on the beach at 1400. He was going to stay onboard & tend to a few things before he came out to meet us. Apparently the local bus was $2/pp & a taxi was about $15.

That’s where things went pear-shaped. We went to the Tourist Information booth & found out that the cheapest hotel near Payne’s bay was $400/night & it was sold out. The next cheapest was $2000/night. Yeah. So, the closest one was at the neighbouring beach & was called Sunswept Hotel for $188/night. (which was very nice – beach front, pool, clean, balcony) Away we went, in our cab that charged us $30. Yeah.

By the time we made it to the Sunswept Hotel, we had traveled a fair distance past Payne’s Bay & I knew there was NO way Jaco would ever find us. I could see it all now. He would come out to Payne’s Bay, look for us, get frustrated & go back to the ship. So. I caught a ride BACK to the ship with the cabbie. Luckily he was kind enough not to charge me, as he was headed back there anyways. I gave him $5 anyhow. (Adrian Brathwaite – 246-235-9755 – great guy)

Thankfully I found Jaco on the ship. He was just getting ready to come out. He finished up & away we went. I called Adrian & he drove us BACK to Sunswept & then waited for me to find M&D2 who were enjoying their hotel room & balcony overlooking the beach. We drove back to Payne’s Bay & finally reached our destination for the day!

We rented a few loungers & a surf board for yours truly who isn’t a great swimmer. We were swimming 200-300 metres out into the ocean to snorkel with TURTLES! Yes! Just like Crush from Finding Nemo! M&D2 headed out – with the surfboard! I was trying to get my gear on & camera ready when I looked out & saw my floatation device half way out to the turtles! What the?!? Argh! I had to dog paddle like you wouldn’t believe to catch up to them! What’s the point of paying for a board to save your life if it’s no where to be grabbed?!?

Anyhow, we reached the area where the turtles were. And there they were. Beautiful turtles gracefully floating through the water, reaching the surface every now & then for a breath of fresh air. It was fantastic. Of course, Mom2 was in her glory. I still smile thinking of the delight in her voice when she saw them near her. We must’ve spent a good hour out there with the turtles. What a marvellous experience. I LOVE LIFE.

We swam back (I, with the board this time!) & played in the waves for a while. Mom2 can float & Jaco can swim – I think they are both part fish. Dad2 & I held our own. Barbados has fantastic beaches & wonderful water. It was so peaceful just to be in the water, bobbing along with the waves. The waves were quite strong today. We had some pretty good ones & it was a bit of a challenge exiting the water. Dad2 got cut up by some rocks when he ‘washed ashore’. There was an older lady sitting on the beach right at the point where the waves crashed onto the sand. She must’ve had a few pounds of sand in places I bet she didn’t know existed. (Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything!)

The four of us caught a local bus back to the hotel. Now THAT was an experience we won’t soon forget. Reggaton music blaring as we stepped up & into the lime green bus with a funky little horn tooting out a melody every few blocks. It was packed & I took a little video. The locals were laughing at me videoing the experience & Mom2 gettin’ her groove on in de bus. All that was missing was the pom-pom fringe in the front window.

We took a table at the restaurant next to the Hotel. It was called Zacchio’s & it was delicious. I enjoyed the best coconut shrimp of my life & Jaco had crab cakes & salmon. Mom2 had coconut shrimp & Dad2 had a burger. We watched the sunset as we dined & it was absolutely glorious. The waves crashed onto the shore, the palm trees swayed in the breeze & the tiki torches danced into the night.

Reluctantly, our time together came to an end. Jaco & I had to catch a cab back & I knew that M&D2 were getting weary from a full day of adventures. We hugged & kissed goodbye & hopped into the cab.

Back at the ship, we found out that we wouldn’t be sailing until close to midnight. Looks like we could’ve taken our time coming back, but oh well.

I was walking up to the Emergency Drill & as I turned a corner, a lump came into my throat. I didn’t have any guests this week. I had no one to entertain, no one to show around the ship & take to all my favourite places in port. I was going to miss them terribly! **sniff, sniff**

I called them at their hotel & said goodbye one more time. I then slipped off the ship to do some internet & had a quick MagicJack chat with Roxy.

Once I was back on the ship, for the last time today, I went up on deck & photographed this incredible yacht we were in port with. It is apparently owned by the owner of the Chelsea Football Club. (That’s UK Soccer, FYI) It had a helicopter on the back of it. Yeah. What a life! But that’s okay, I’m enjoying mine a lot, right about now! Speaking of which, I’ve got a hot date with my husband…

G’nite all…

xxxxMaria

 A guide from another ship feeds the turtles

 My fish

 Dad2 enjoying the surf board

 Where we swam to/from

 Fish

 Mom2 enjoying her turtle experience

 Hello boys!

 A perfect day!

 Awh!

 Zacchio's

 Zacchio's

 Yum!

 Sunset - it flashed green!

 Romance under the sea

 Hey Crush!

Swimmingly fantastic!

Delicious meal!!!

 Groovin' on the local bus!

Stunning night! 

Day 496 - The Baths At Virgin Gorda

The who at what?! The Baths at Virgin Gorda. Google ‘em. British Virgin Islands. It’s a very famous & picturesque beach with massive boulders scattered all over the white sand. Crystal clear, blue-green waters, sunshine – all the things necessary for a perfect Caribbean day!

It was meant to be the 4 of us, but Jaco had to work unexpectedly this morning, so we were three. We took a hydrofoil over to Virgin Gorda from Road Town, Tortola. It took us about 35 minutes to reach the island. From there we boarded a Ford truck converted into a taxi/shuttle & drove to the Baths National Park. From there we hiked down a rocky, dirt path to the actual beach. It was littered with tourists. We were in port with a Carnival ship & a Costa ship, so there were Italian, Spanish, American & British accents all around. It was weird to hear so many accents in one little place!

The beach was even more beautiful than I had imagined. I was really sad that Jaco wasn’t there with me. Maybe we can go together one day. Apparently the scuba diving is good here too.

There are caves you can walk through, but with the sheer number of bodies, I didn’t try to go through, as I wanted to enjoy the beach & take some photographs, not stand in a dark cave with slow moving passengers.

I had taken my ‘real’ camera with me today, so I got everything ready & happily snapped away. I clambered onto the rocks at the far end of the beach & eventually I managed to take a few shots without people in them.

M&D2 enjoyed themselves immensely. Today is their 5 year anniversary. I was happy they were able to come here & do something memorable together. I left them alone & tried to stay out of their way! I found them having some lunch later on & I went back to the beach to collect some sand. Mom2 & I then hit the water to look for unique shells, while Dad2 attempted to climb onto one of the big boulders.

We stopped at a little souvenir stand to get a t-shirt & visited with the man selling the clothing. He told us how he used to work in his Mom’s clothing shop & has become very adept at guessing a woman’s size. Here’s hoping he’s right!

On our way back up the path to the taxi, we spotted a few lizards & some fascinating rock formations. The rock was actually folded – like rolls of skin on a wrinkle dog. It was incredible! What a beautiful day! And it was only noon!

We waited for the last of our tour to board the taxi & while we did, we threw crumbs over the railing to the chickens down below. They were very grateful. Although there will now be some very fussy chickens on Virgin Gorda, as I gave them raw, vegan cracker crumbs!

Back at the pier, we boarded out boat to take us back to Tortola. I snuck upstairs & took photos pretty much the entire way back. They were only happy snaps, but still! Maybe Jaco & I should come & live in Tortola… Hmm…

Dad2 headed up to their room, while Mom2 followed me to our cabin. Much to my sadness, Jaco was already gone. He thought we’d return around noon. It was now 1330. He had left a note that he was going out at 1250. Darn! We’d just missed him. It later turned out that he was still onboard, but had gotten caught up at the Medical Centre.

Mom2 & I headed out to the shops. She was looking for a dress. She managed to find 2 dresses & a funky pant/top combination. She also found mugs, shirts for the kids, pants, and a few other things! We went for gelato at the best place in town – la Dolce Vita. We had grapefruit & passion fruit. Yum.

She was shopped out, so we headed back to the ship. I had a quick shower to get rid of the salt & sand stuck to me & shortly thereafter Jaco returned to the cabin from the gym. He was off to work & I wanted to dash back to a shop to pick up a souvenir I’d missed earlier.

Once back onboard, I ate some more raw lasagna, called home & tried to type a blog post or two… But I’m getting sleepy now…

Yawn… xxxxMaria

 We're here!

 The bug that landed on my camera & scared the 'stuff' out of me!

 We traveled from central Tortola to the southern tip of Virgin Gorda

 Cheers!

 The fancy shuttles you'll find in most of the Virgin Islands

 Tilt much?

 Nice pad. Apparently it comes with an island!

 Nice commute to work.