Day 504 - Curaçao

Humming right along with my sprouts, I planted the wheatgrass, peas & sunflowers. The other sprouts continue to be rinsed & some will be ready by tomorrow night! I don’t have the proper trays & I couldn’t get stockings to cover the trays with, so I’ll attempt to use the spray bottle again this time around. Hopefully I won’t get any mold & will get a nice even growth. I sprouted more seeds than previously, although I did spread them out over 1.5 trays apiece. Here’s hoping!

Jaco & I went out in Curaçao today. He had never been ashore there, so I was happy to show him around, although we only had 1.5 hours. He had always looked out from the ship & didn’t think there was much to see. Truthfully, in town, unless you’re shopping or going for a meal, there isn’t a whole lot to see. Out of town, there are plenty of beaches & great diving! Sadly, we didn’t have time for that! We walked past the new hotel that has gone up since I was here in 2007. There are plenty of typical ship shops – Diamonds International, Columbian Emeralds, etc, etc. We then walked into the Old Fort, with more shops & little cafés – it has a nice ambience to it.

Exiting the Fort, we came to the swing bridge, but it was closed to let ships pass by. We waited for quite some time & finally took the ferry across – about the time the bridge swung open. We visited with one of the locals, took a quick stroll down the main pedestrian street & a few souvenir photos before it was time to head back to the ship! Jaco had a hankering for ice cream, so after we’d walked across the swing bridge we stopped for ice cream in the Fort.

We made it back with 3 minutes to spare! Here’s hoping we can get off a little sooner in Grand Turk! We were both commenting on how hot it was & how nice it would have been to be in the water today!

I went up to the gym (day 2!) & decided to do yoga out on deck. Bad decision. I used to do yoga outside all the time when I was on the Sun Princess. This is a sister ship, so the layout is pretty much identical. Well, something must have changed. I was in the exact same spot as I used to be & it was disgusting. There were bits of carpet, hairs, dust, dirt, passenger receipts & paper towels whirling around in a wind tunnel in the exact spot where I’d chosen to do my workout. Gross. I blew the bits off my laptop about 6 times when I finally decided it might just wreck my laptop, so I went inside. I had to compete with the loud dance music playing in the gym, but I managed to fumble my way through the remainder of my workout. I’m pretty out of shape. My poor arms were buckling & shaking like crazy on a few of the poses. My balance is also a little lacking. It will be a few weeks before I can handle crow pose – that’s for sure!

This evening, I had the pleasure of dining with Larisa in the pizzeria. I met Larisa when I sailed with Jaco on the Star Princess in South America. She is a Photographer from England & has a passion for travel. So much so that she only spent 9 days at home on her last break! That’s impressive! She’s making plans to travel to Costa Rica, Barbados & Thailand for this holiday coming up. We had a wonderful visit – in fact, we were talking so much that I didn’t even realize we were the last two left in the restaurant! Whoops! I haven’t laughed that much in a long time!

She recently took up running, so I took the pleasure of introducing her to Lululemon. When we came back to the cabin, I showed her half my wardrobe. I think I’ve piqued her interest! She’s also an avid diver & was my buddy last cruise in Dominica. She’s leaving at the end of this cruise & I’m going to miss her terribly. I’ve really enjoyed seeing her again! But that’s the beauty of ships. It’s never goodbye. Only goodbye for now. You always bump into each other again somewhere down the path.

Jaco was already in bed by the time we came back to the cabin, so we didn’t visit for too long. I’ll see her again before the end of the cruise…

But for now, it’s bed time. Tomorrow is a sea day & Jaco has asked me to join him for the Captain’s Circle Luncheon. I’ll fill you in shortly!

xxxxMaria

 Swing Bridge

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!