Day 192 - Grenada

Today was a short port day. We sailed at 1400, which meant all crew & passengers had to be onboard by 1330. By the time I got myself organized & then Valentina organized, it was nearly noon when we exited the ship.

Today was Sunday, so no wig shopping for me. :o( I thought I might get lucky & find something in the terminal, but no. I took Valentina for a walk over to the water taxi station & on our way there, a local girl & her Mom stopped to visit with Valentina. They were very impressed with her. They wanted to know if she had puppies & when I said no, they told me I needed to come back & make sure she had puppies on the ship next time so they could get one! Yeesh, they really liked her! They were selling spice necklaces, so I bought one from them. I bought some last time I was here & they are delicious! The have nutmeg, cloves, lemongrass, cocoa beans, and saffron(?) on them. Grenada is known as the Spice Island.

I found a shirt for Eddie. He had been mentioning a particular pirate shirt he was after – ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves’ but he wanted a white t-shirt & they are generally in black. One of the shops in the terminal had white ones, so that would be his thank you gift for taking Jaco & I out during our visit.

I also met a security guard who was a pleasure to visit with. She has 5 children & offered one to Jaco & I if we can’t have our own. :o) I told her our story & she is going to pray for my health to return quickly.

I must say, the people in the Caribbean are incredibly helpful. I have been here many times before, but I don’t recall everyone being this hospitable. It’s wonderful!

I went back to the ship & headed upstairs for a bite to eat. I ended up sitting with 2 wonderful couples from eastern USA, Pennsylvania, I think! We had a great chat & I hope I’ll bump into them again throughout the rest of the trip. They are going to have a great time!

Tonight was also formal night and Jaco had to do his ‘wave’ when the Captain introduced the Senior Officers onboard. The Captain approached me after the introductions were finished & said hello. I worked the Captain Stenzel previously & he is a wonderful man. He would officiate the weddings & I always thought he put a little extra TLC into the ceremony that many others didn’t. Anyhow, he saw Valentina’s bag & clearly didn’t realize I had a dog inside. He asked me if I’d just arrived & had I been dropped off, luggage & all? I didn’t want to tell him, no, there’s actually a dog inside, so I just laughed along with him. He & Jaco will be leaving on the same day.

Jaco & I decided to go for pizza after the ‘wave’ & then a few portraits with Valentina & Eddie. Oh dear, we had quite the crowd! I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it tomorrow! NOTE TO SELF: Wear dark glasses & big hat!

Just another day in paradise! Here’s to a wonderful sleep & a fine day in Bonaire tomorrow! Lekker slaap!

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Look near the bottom of the shot - on the rocks...

Big building across the street from the terminal area

Jaco doing his 'wave'

Out for Pizza

Portraits

What a pair!

Happy girls!

Eddie joins the family!

Day 191 - Barbados!

Oh bummer. Today was May Day. A public holiday in Barbados. Which meant that ALL the shops were closed. No wigs for me! Pooh. I was so disappointed. I spoke to a lady in the terminal & she told me they had every colour, shape & size of wig you can imagine. Hmpf.

Eddie & I went ashore about 1130. Valentina was not allowed off & Jaco had plenty of work to do. He had wanted to come ashore, but it was the other Doctor’s turn.

Eddie & I stopped at the Post Office in the terminal, where I bought the remaining postage for my postcards. I asked the lady behind the counter, Jascinta, about the wig shop. She said it would definitely be closed, but she knew a lady who made them & said she would try to get ahold of her. She left me her cell number to call her back in a bit to check & see if she’d had any luck tracking the lady down. Unfortunately she didn’t, but how sweet of her to try! Wow!

Eddie wanted to go to the Malibu Rum Distillery, which was right beside the beach. I wasn’t objecting to anything, so I said sure! Away we went. The beach was beautiful. That is an understatement. I am of the opinion that Barbados has the best beaches & the best water. And that opinion was definitely reinforced today. Oh. It was breathtaking. I didn’t want to get out of the water. And for me, that is rare. Usually 15 minutes is more than enough for me. But not here. I was in the water for a good 1.5 hours! There was a bit of a swell, but the water was so warm & refreshing. It was truly perfect. I could have stayed a few more hours!

When I returned to the terminal, I was poking in & out of the shops when I spotted the Del Sol shop. I remembered Collet telling me about her Mom making friends with the lady at Del Sol. Collet had told me to stop in & say hello from the family. It had been a year since Collet’s family had been in Barbados & I wasn’t even sure if this was the right location, but I thought, what the heck! Worth a try. Sure enough, the young lady working there remembered Peggy & the family! It was brilliant! How cool to meet her! We exchanged Facebook names & I’ll be sure to let Peggy know I met her friend! The young lady’s co-worker had been to Canada & we share a love of shopping, so we were talking about all of our favourite shops. She was quite impressed to learn that Alberta doesn’t have the PST that some of the other provinces do. They were talking about visiting during Stampede. I would love to show them around ol’ Cowtown! Ha! I love a small world!

Back onboard, Jaco & Valentina were having a wonderful time together. Jaco even gave Valentina a bath this evening. Now that was cute! He’s really going to miss having us around! I’m going to miss having him around. The days are dwindling rapidly & I’m not excited about that in the least. My heart is already heavy at the thought of goodbye. Again.

Anyhow, I’m going to try & get to bed somewhat early tonight so I can break the cycle of crummy sleep patterns! Here’s to a fun filled day in Grenada!

xxxxxxxx

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

Having a nap waiting for Eddie

I love the beach!

Oh yeah.

Just another day in paradise.

Finally found a good beach hat!

Writing in the sand

Yup, she's in the water!

Pretty clouds

Eddie, Jens & Jenny

The sky from below the surface

The beach

My Argentinian friend, Eddie

Leandre & Co @ Del Sol - She knows Collet & Co!

My 2 Favourite Beings!

Remember how I said Valentina likes to get in on the action?!?

Papa's turn for a nose cleaning.

Mama's turn for a nose cleaning.

Valentina's turn for a nose (& body) cleaning

She's not lovin' it!

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 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:
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2. Type your comments in the 'Post Comments' box
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5. Usually it will give you an error & say it couldn't post the comments, click it again
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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

Day 171 - A Day Off!

Today was Sunday & the clinic is closed on Sundays, so I had the day off. I slept late, of course, and around 0900, I was started to toss & turn - sleeping lighter & lighter. The phone rang at 0930 & much to my delight, it was Ed!!!


I met Ed the last time I was in San Diego. Ed was taking his brother, Bobby, to Castillo's - you may remember the story. The US Doctors had been treating Bobby for Arthritis for NINE MONTHS meanwhile it was a tumor growing out of control! Sadly, Bobby passed away in January, but today Ed told me that Bobby fought for his life right until the moment he passed away. 


Ed & I hit it off right away, as he told me about his little Yorkie, Chloe, and her & Valentina were about the same age, so they were going through the same phases at the same time. We talked a lot of dog talk & ventured out to Trader Joe's & Target... I was sad to say good bye to Ed & Bobby last November!


Naturally, I was excited to hear Ed's voice on the other line today! We visited for about 1.5 hrs & covered a broad range of topics. I do hope it works out for us to meet up! He has a friends & family connection with Princess, so maybe he can visit Jaco & I on the ship! 


After we hung up, I decided I better make something of the day. I did up my dirty dishes, made a wrap & a smoothie. My smoothie consisted of a can of coconut milk, 1 cup of water, a mango, 5 big pineapple chunks, 5 leaves of small kale, & 1 banana. Not too bad if I do say so myself! 


I didn't feel 100% when I woke up this morning & it has stayed with me all day. Headache, sinus issues, feverish, sweaty, achy, & tons of occipital tension. Here's hoping I wake up feeling much better tomorrow!


I showered & threw on a cap & headed out the door about 1400. I know, it still takes me a long time to get mobile! I caught the 1415 bus & then the trolley. I rode it all the way to the end at Old Town, then hopped onto the Green Line. Man, the Green Line is cush compared to the Blue Line! Either the Green Line takes you past the ritzy side of San Diego or they are much busier, because the trolleys were much newer than the Blue Line! I felt like I was on a trolley in Scandinavia or something! How posh!


I hopped off on the 2nd stop at Fashion Valley. I had been told about Fashion Valley last time when we were in Palm Desert. I went last time & it was good, so I thought I better check it out this time too! It was crazy busy! I didn't get there until about 1530, so I swiftly made my way around the shops. A few had closed since I'd been there last & several new ones had opened in their place. Satisfied with what I did & didn't see, I left around 1900. 


I caught the trolley back & on my way, I visited with a Cook. He cooks the meals for the Marines in Boot Camp. He told me that he used to be an Alcoholic & has been clean for 4 years next month. He lost his job & his car & even did jail time for his actions while drinking. He lived on the street for awhile too. He is happy with his life & still struggles in making the right choice. He shares his home with a single parent Mom & together they are able to make ends meet. What a life. Wow.


After he got off the trolley, a man from Tijuana got on. He was a clean cut young Grandpa looking Mexican. A beautiful smile & very friendly. We got to chatting & of course, he wonders why I'm in San Diego headed for the border, alone & after dark! He asked me the first few questions & then said, 'You're from Ireland or England?' I replied, 'Neither, I'm from Canada.' 'Oh, the French part then?' I left it at that. Of course, I tell him I'm going to Tijuana for Cancer treatments. His eyes bulge. 'YOU? But you look so healthy!' He gets very excited at this point. His brother is a Specialist in Colima, near Guadalajara. He tells me how a fellow he worked with had cancer & his brother made arrangements for the man to have surgery in Tijuana & the brother made sure the costs were covered. The man, Jose, writes down his number for me & demands that I call him to get his brother's number, only after I've given him a few days to talk to his brother. 


I managed to catch the very last bus of the night. Thank goodness I didn't stop at the pharmacy on my way to the trolley! I would have had to walk home, alone, in the dark. With nothing but my wiener to protect me. :o) I was so happy to see the bus sitting there when I stepped off the trolley! 


On the bus, a fellow from Dallas was telling us he was looking for a place to live & how expensive it is in San Diego compared to Texas. Then he comments on how cold it is tonight. HA! I'm laughing, as these people are walking around in parkas, toques, boots, scarves & clothing like it's -20! I'm in capris & flip flops! Yeah, the evenings warrant a hoodie, but that's about it! I'll take their cold weather any day!


I missed my Dad on Skype, but managed to catch Collet & Ezra. As soon as Ezra heard my voice, he instantly said, 'Nini? Nini? Nini?' He had to see her on the webcam. It was very cute! He's doing awesome on his potty training & he even counted to ten for me! Wow! What a good boy! 


I'm now settled in bed, alone. Valentina is having her first night in her kennel in preparation for her big flight. I've put one of the heat packs in the pillow cover & we'll see how that works!


Have a wonderful sleep & I'll see you tomorrow!
xoxoxoxoxox
Maria & Valentina

Waiting for the trolley

Shh, she didn't buy a ticket!

Southern end of the Best Western

Palm trees waving in the twilight breeze.

It looked so pretty! Magical, if you will!