Day 510 - Antigua

Another day, another dive. This morning, Leana, Bronwyn, Nic & I went out for a dive. Off to a great start, I managed to leave my wallet on the seat of the taxi van. Thankfully we were able to get ahold of the driver & he found it & would return it when he picked us up. Phew!

Bronwyn had been the cruise before & said the diving was extraordinary. I only did one tank, as I emerged with an excruciating headache & a bad case of seasickness! It was VERY rough on the surface & I was quite nervous getting in & out of the dive boat. We didn't see too much on the first dive. Naturally, they saw a lot on the second dive. I told them they would, seeing as I wasn't going with! 

I had a great visit with the Captain. He was a Scandinavian now living in the Caribbean. He loves to sail & enjoys life every day to the fullest. Apparently his stomach is a little stronger than mine. I didn't get sick, but I sure had to focus on the horizon! Not much eye contact during the conversation!

We stayed at the Jolly Harbour after our dive & enjoyed a bite to eat & the white sand beach. Wow. The water is absolutely stunning here. Apparently there are 365 beaches in Antigua. One for every day of the year. I'd be happy to stay at this one!

Once we were back at the terminal I went on a mission to find an ATM. Apparently there was one at the Casino. I went there & found the ATM right outside the Casino. I withdrew the amount I needed. And it came out in local currency. Doh! Great! Argh! So I went inside the Casino & found the USD ATM. I exchanged the $80 in Eastern Caribbean currency & withdrew the balance in USD. (Having just paid $10 in foreign ATM fees & another $5+ for the actual ATM use. Nice.)

Not one of my better days, but I'm still in paradise, so I won't grumble anymore. Here are some photos from my 'bad day'... Enjoy! (Tomorrow will be better!)

xxxxMaria

Sailing out of Jolly Harbour

Bronwyn & Leana

Nic

Wayne & another diver

Gorgeous water

the Wake

Bubbles go up

Or do they?

Sand dollar (Ocean Currency)

Coral

Coral

Fishies

Divers

Lobzilla

Trumpet fish?

Wow.

Wowx2.

Sailing back into Jolly Harbour.

Yeah.

Yeah again.

The Captain & Alex

The beach

Ahhhh.

Ahhhh x 100

Day 499 - Dominica

Ahh. Dominica. I always enjoy my days here. Today was no exception. I was up early & off the ship for my dive. I was joining Larisa & we were going to be dive buddies for the day. We saw Leana & Bronwyn on the dock, they were off on a whale watching tour. 


Larisa had her G12 & an underwater housing with her, so I had given my underwater camera to M&D2 to take with them on their Champagne Snorkeling tour. 


I have dived in Dominica previously - Valentine's Day 2007 to be precise. It was a rather memorable dive. I went with a bunch of friends from the ship. When we were on the boat, they told us they didn't have enough wetsuits for us. In the end, the guide ended up giving me his wetsuit, which was very generous of him. Apparently my diet had also been generous, for when I pulled the wetsuit up, I managed to tear the backside of the wetsuit! I was mortified! Of course, we had the ship's Videographer diving with us that day, so my white cheek ended up on the souvenir dvd of the cruise! 


Lo & behold, our dive today found Larisa with a split up the backside of her wetsuit! It wasn't her - it came that way, but I found it highly entertaining that there was a split wetsuit onboard 4 years later! Oh the irony! 


The dive wasn't that wonderful. Dominica is usually a diver's dream. Today was a bit of a nightmare! I had a regulator that sprayed sea water into my mouth with every breath, which meant I came up from the dive having inhaled a fair amount of salt water. I had a headache like you wouldn't believe! I didn't really want to do the second dive, as I knew what I would be up against! I went, but it certainly wasn't enjoyable! We saw plenty of fish, but it wasn't as memorable as I had recalled from 2007. Larisa & I had fun visiting in any case. 


The second dive was at Champagne Reef. Gases escape from inside the Earth & bubble up to the surface. The water is warm & it seems as though you are swimming in a glass of champagne! It's really something to experience!


Once we were back at the dock, I strolled through the terminal & listened to one of the steeldrum bands getting ready for Carnival, which was happening at the start of the week. They were young musicians, but they sounded great! When I left the terminal & walked towards the ship, I noticed the objects along the pier. I don't know what the English name is, but the Afrikaans translation is 'dumb oxen'. When I first visited South Africa in 2005, Nico's father, Marten, worked at CSIR. They had a to-scale setup of some of the ports & piers around the world. They also had a wave making machine & they would observe the flow of water & the tolerance of the piers with different strengths of waves. It was quite fascinating! In any case, they had these 'dumb oxen' lining the piers in some places. I had never seen them before & I haven't seen them too many other places. It was special to see them here! 


I went back onboard, changed quickly & headed back off the ship. I was hoping to find a fabric shop open that sells African prints. I have a little tradition of buying fabric each time I come. I don't sew, but I'm hoping to one day do something with it!


Sadly it was Sunday. EVERYTHING was closed. The only thing open was a small bar with a side shop selling fresh herbs. I saw M&D2 on the street outside the shop & they suggested I go in & get some herbs for my raw dishes. I thought it was a great idea! That is, until I saw lizards crawling across the tops of the open jars & birds landing on the jars! No thanks!


I strolled down the waterfront & took in a bit of the pre-Carnival festivities - mostly just music & a few tourist stalls - before I caught the last shuttle back to the ship.


I spent the evening helping M&D2 pack. They were overweight with their luggage & I lent them one of my suitcases. I didn't know what I was going to do with the suitcase in the first place, so it worked out well that I could send it back with them. I consider myself a pretty good packer, so I managed to cram 50 lbs worth of stuff into a small carry-on suitcase! 


I said goodnight to them & we made arrangements to meet tomorrow & go ashore one last time. I can't believe it's been 2 weeks already. I've had so much fun showing them around. They have enjoyed every minute of it & I'm thrilled to pieces that they had the opportunity to join Jaco & I onboard. Now they know what I've been up to all these years!


Okay, I'm off to bed...xxxxMaria

 Workin' the shirt

 Lovin' the sunshine!

 Swim like a fishy!

 Part of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here!

 Steeldrummers

 The band

 Youngsters

 Steel drum

 Handicrafts

 More handicrafts

'dumb oxen'

Day 485 - The Joys of Flying

As I type this blog post, I have my iPod cranked. There is a screaming child 2 rows back & she is barely audible as I go deaf to the sounds of ‘Your Never Fails’ & no, it’s not a ballad! She has been crying pretty near the entire flight. Now it’s becoming a hysterical breathing/crying mixture. Only 1.5 hrs to go.

I forgot what flying red eye is like. I booked this flight, as it was the shortest wait time in Toronto. We left at 0040, arrived at 0640, flew again at 0940 & arrive in Bridgetown at 1600.

I have enough luggage for about 6 people. Thank goodness Mom2 & Dad2 came with! They must feel like my sherpas!

I have had a splitting headache since I woke up yesterday. It’s finally dissipating, although it’s probably just due to the fact that I have a kink in my neck from the neck pillow which deflated part way through this flight. Sure enough, there is a big hole in the side of it. I have only had it for 3 flights. Grr.

Btw, I remembered that I had my voice recorder with me. If you want to experience part of the joy of this flight, here you go:

(Insert Audio Clip Here) (sorry, couldn't get it to upload - ship internet!)

In a few short hours, we’ll be in Bridgetown, Barbados. I’ll collect my luggage (5 cases plus carry-on), make my way through Quarantine Inspection (smoothly) & then the three of us will find a taxi cab (van) to the ship, where I will finally be reunited with my husband. I can’t believe it’s been over 3 months since I saw him last.

I am always grateful for the time we have together. Of course, being able to be with him in warm, sunny locations always makes life that much more exciting. I still adhere to the belief that I am the luckiest girl I know.

I’ll do my best to get updated on the blog & share the love of my life, the blue waters of the Caribbean & the joys of life with you.

Thanks for hanging in there while I fumbled through my hiatus.

xxxx Maria

I only wish the girls were part of my luggage! **sniff, sniff** I sure do miss them! Already!

The adventure is about to begin!

Miss you Mom! Miss you Valentina! Miss you Oceana!

Day 334 - Cars & Insomnia

Another day of post-chemo rubbish. I'm struggling to find the upside of things these days. My arm is getting somewhat better, no more codeine, but it still aches. I'm so anxious to get away & go somewhere - do something! But I'm just not there yet. 


Today we took Contemplate to the mechanics to pick up Mom's car & I made arrangements to leave Contemplate there next week. The brakes are a little shoddy & I'm not sure why. Hopefully it will be an easy fix! The mechanic, Duane, is a wonderful man. I visited with him & his wife for quite some time today. It's nice to have a mechanic you can trust & you know isn't going to tell you the 'caneutre valve' is cracked & needs to be replaced for $2000. (When I was in flight school, I trained with a fellow named James & he used to joke about telling women their caneutre (kah-noo-turr) valve was busted & of course, us non-mechanically inclined women would just nod & say OK. 


I wore the mullet wig today. I think I may have overdone it. I also wore legwarmers. What!? They are back in style! Okay, granted, maybe not with a mullet wig, but it was fun anyhow! I had some pretty funny looks when I stopped at the grocery store. All in good fun. I felt a little like Joan Jett, only without the leather & denim.


Shortly after we got back from the mechanics, I got another headache. I was in bed by 2100 - a record for me! Unfortunately I woke up at 0030 & could NOT fall asleep until 0600. Yes, six in the morning. I have never had insomnia quite like that before! Ridiculous! I feel sorry for anyone who suffers regularly with it! What a horrible thing to deal with! 


So, rather groggily, I say goodnight... or good morning...


xxxxMJV&O

 Valentina LOVES the heater - she gets SO close to it!

 I think she's on some tropical island at the moment... Wish I was too!

 Jaco on facebook... Or YouTube

I'm thinking of submitting this to Acana - good to the last kibble!

Day 289 - Lake Chaparral Triathlon

GO TEAM ORANGE!


I was up & at it like a house on fire this morning to boogie in to cheer Jenn on & take photos of her first ever triathlon. A bittersweet training path, Jenn was thrown all sorts of curveballs to throw her off track, but she stuck it out & made it to race day. I'm so proud of her determination & dedication. She is unstoppable!


Of course, I was running late & when I arrived, I had about 15 minutes to find Jenn, Mike & the kids. I knew the kids & Mike would be wearing orange, but as it turned out, so were all the volunteer staff! Whoops! And finding Jenn... Hmm... Well, she was wearing a wetsuit with a red swim cap & goggles. Just like everyone else was! Thank Heavens I saw Mike & the kids & he was able to point her out. She was already in the water. I had wanted to give her a hug before she started & to my delight, she came out of the water to see the kids & I snuck in a soggy hug.


And with a blast on the horn, she was off! I would have drowned had I needed to swim that far! I ended up taking photos of chunks of the group, as I lost her in the flurry of water & limbs & figured she can pick herself out of the mass! 


Harrison played in the sand & water while Mike kept him from going into the water too far. I watched Heidi, who quietly smiled at me from time to time. That little girl is SO well behaved! She didn't make a peep the entire 2 hours! Impressive! 


Before we knew it, Jenn was nearing her swim finish. We went over to the exit point to see her come out. I took a few snaps & then it was a rush over to the transition area where she'd be coming out on her bike. YAY MAMA J! Mike, the kids & I then relocated across the street where she would cycle by twice before she started her run. The signs were a hit & Jenn told me later on that some random person hollered 'YAY MAMA J' as she ran past! AWESOME!!! (Thanks again Janis!!!) Even Harrison caught on & would randomly shout, 'GO MAMA!' It was adorable! 


Lastly, we waited for her to run across the finish line. I am so proud of her! What a great challenge & what an amazing accomplishment! Did I mention I'm proud of her!? :o)


Exhausted & starving, she left for home, shower, food, nap - in that particular order! I made my way home & also had a nap. I have had a brutal headache for a few days running now. I woke up to Mom stomping around the house - I guess she's home now! And the rumbling of thunder outside. It wasn't just your average rumbling of thunder, it was the loud crackling type. AWESOME! Yup, soon enough, the hail arrived. It was so cold out from the hail, every time I walked outside, I could see my breath! 


Unka Jer & Roxy have arrived, but I have yet to visit with them, as I went to bed early. My headache was slashing its way through my skull. Mom massaged my back with Tiger Balm, I slathered peppermint oil on my face & off to bed I went. It was 2200. I woke up at 0145 still feeling rubbish, in fact, nauseous, hot & horribly in pain. I put more peppermint oil on & a cold washcloth on my face. Somewhere in there I fell back asleep & didn't wake up until 1000! Thankfully without the headache! 


That's it for Sunday... See you on Monday! (Only 3 more sleeps until Jaco arrives!)
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

Good luck Mama J!

Can you see her? Now you understand my dilemma! 

Harrison finds some new friends

Okay, I'm pretty sure she's in here!

Video crew on the water

Boys will be boys!

Heidi Jo waits patiently. For 2 hours!

Harrison tries to get Daddy's shoes wet.

Good throw!

Watching the men start

Walkin' on the beach

2 Peas in a Pod!

A Whole Lotta Swimmers!

1st third done! Way to go!

Onto the bike!

Jenn's cheering section - we were tiny, but we were loud!

Spin Mama J! Spin!

...And the crowd goes wild!

Well, pretty wild... Note Heidi sound asleep in the stroller.

Video crew at it again!

Second lap nearly done!

Onto the run & we even got a shout out from our favourite Triathlete!

YOU DID IT!!! Across the finish line!!!

Yay Mama J! Congratulatory kisses!

Harrison is happy now that he's got his Mama back!

I've got hail photos too, but the triathlon was more exciting! Maybe another day!