Day 526 - St. Kitts

Oooooh! Today was a most fun day! I took a tour to the lovely island of Nevis! I haven't been to Nevis previously, so today was uncharted waters! Yay! I took a catamaran with Sanja - pronounced Son-yah - and Theo from the Tour Desk. We sailed to a little cove & snorkelled in crystal clear waters - beautiful fish were everywhere! From there we headed over to Nevis. A deserted beach awaited us. There was a fancy resort down the beach aways, but otherwise, absolutely nothing but stunning waters & beach. It was a brilliant day!

I met Helen & Sophie - some passengers from England that were also on the Jamaican tour with me. It turns out that Helen is a Photographer! We enjoyed a visit about gear & what she does back home. I'm excited to look up her work on Facebook when I get a chance. Her daughter, Sophie, was the one I was going to join at the front of the catamaran when the waves got rowdy on the Jamaican tour!

As we were getting back onto the catamaran, I watched a lady toss her cigarette butt into the ocean. I was horrified! I told her she really shouldn't throw her butts into the ocean. She snottily shot back, 'Well! What would you have me do with them, then?' I offered suggestions such as an empty film canister, dipping the burning butt into the water & then putting it into a baggie, or back into the cigarette package. I don't think I got the third suggestion out when she interrupted me & said, 'Okay. I've heard enough thank you.' Alrighty then. It wasn't her first cigarette. What has she been doing with all the butts throughout the years? Apparently she was cut off from booze on our way back to St. Kitts! What a life she must lead! 

Farewell Pinney's Beach!

I caught a little too much sun & ended up with a fairly intense 'tan/burn'. Thankfully it didn't cause any pain & I'm pleased to say I've finally got a darker tint than I've ever had before! Here's hoping it lasts after I've left the Caribbean sunshine!

I went back to the ship after the tour was finished & took the laptop off. I managed to get my scan report from Dr. Daly. The official one. Hmpf. Not so exciting. Nothing different than what he told me previously, but somehow seeing it in official medical gibberish makes it that much more 'negatively' toned. Boo. He wants me to come back in May for a scan. We'll see, as I wasn't planning on being back in Canada until late July. 

Crummy end to a rather wonderful day. Although I can't fault Dr. Daly. He emailed me on a Saturday afternoon. That's dedication & I'm grateful for his patience in treating a rather obstinate patient. So thank you for that!

xxxxMaria

 My Italian lesson for the day - Live & let live

 Fishies!

 Theo

 One fish, two fish

 Puffer fish

 Moi

 The catamaran

 The flag

 Theo & Sanja on the beach

 Carrying some sticks

 Hello! Help! Over here! Yoo hoo!

 Last ones back!

 Sails

 Leaving St. Kitts

 Sailboat

 We're headed somewhere over there!

 Perfect day for a sail!

 Ahhh! Paradise!

 Love every moment!

 Life is good.

 Perfection

 Moments to remember

 Drop me off here!

 She sells sea shells by the sea shore!

 Contrasts

 Carried away by the Caribbean breeze

 Theo

 Footprints

 Yes it is.

 Living life to the max!

 Theo's artistic talents

 Floating in the breeze

 Sticks

 Blues & greens

 Stay forever please

 Little shack

 Water rushes in & out

 Farewell Nevis!

 Crew

 Heading home

Rustbucket!

Day 511 - St. Lucia

Today was nothing short of interesting! We were in St. Lucia today & after the past few days of diving, I wasn't in the sight-seeing mode. I opted instead, to try & find some wifi in the terminal. 

I like the terminal in St. Lucia. I've found a few cheap bargains over the years & you never what you'll find. I wandered around the shops & found myself in Diamonds International. Now, just for the record, DI is NOT one of the shops I find cheap bargains in. In fact, I am a strictly window shopper when I'm in that shop! 

When I strolled into the shop today, I was immediately approached by some of the salespeople. They asked if they could help & I said I was just looking. They were all smiles. Then, one of them tells me he has the perfect watch to match my laptop bag. My laptop bag is purple. I smiled sweetly. Then he comes over with a Hublot watch. It has a purple band & plenty of diamonds on the face of the watch. He slips it on my wrist & everyone oooh's & aaah's over the stunning timepiece. I said it was nice, but I'd prefer the diamonds on a nice eternity band instead. To which he replied, 'Platinum or gold?' I said, 'Platinum, of course!'

So there I was with this fancy Hublot watch & a stunning eternity band on my left wrist & hand. Sigh. That's a lot of glitter & glam! They told me if I bought the watch, they'd throw in the ring for free. Ha! The watch was only $23,000. Cough.

After I had removed all of their precious gems & metals, I looked around the shop. The salesgirls chatted with me & complimented my haircut. Pretty soon a few of the salesmen joined in. Before I knew it, we were a group of 6 & I was showing them my wig photos from Christmas, as well as wedding photos & pre-chemo hairdo's. We had a good laugh about all of it. Nice bunch of people working there!

From there I ended up at a little picnic bench next to a few crew who were hacking into the rum shop's free wifi. I joined them & settled in to update the blog. I hadn't been there for very long when 2 couple from the UK sat down at the table with me. Turns out they were from Harrogate! I've been to Harrogate! To Betty's for cream tea! Forgive me if I get their names wrong - Bob, Mark, Mary & Grace. The didn't even know they were on the same cruise until they were onboard! Fantastic! I told them about the blog - although I'm so far behind I'm sure they've given up by now! (Sorry guys!)

Today was also our anniversary! Our 1st 2nd Anniversary! 2 years ago today, we married in the Namib desert at a little place called 'Deadvlei'. If you haven't seen the photos, go to this link & scroll down to March 18th. Mario is an AMAZING Photographer. 

Jaco surprised me today with a dozen beautiful red roses! I was so impressed when he told me he did it all on his own accord! I thought surely the girls in the clinic had put him up to it! But nope! We had a lovely dinner at the Pizzeria - funnily enough, so did the rest of the Medics! They were at a different table with Eddie, the Medical Steward, as a farewell/thank you dinner for all parties involved. Rafeeq is the Supervisor in the Pizzeria & he & Jaco hail from South Africa, so they were able to have some chitty-chatty in Afrikaans in between courses. Rafeeq is a real sweetheart. He knows that Jaco likes these little nut squares & always makes an effort to send a plate of them back with Jaco or myself. 

Tonight I also had an email from Dr. Daly regarding my PET scan results. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but not entirely dire, either. Basically they didn't get a great scan so they want me to redo it in 3 months time. They think there *might* be some residual disease, but they aren't sure. (Most likely because they lost the 4th cycle scan of my head & neck. Yeah.) In any case, I'm not panicking & neither should you. Just pray! I'll keep you posted on what's next!

And with that, the day is done. I'm going to spend some time with my husband. Did I mention that I am married to the most wonderful man on the planet? He is more than I could have ever asked for, dreamed for, hoped for, longed for, or wanted for. I love you Jaco. 

xxxxMaria

The crew in Diamonds International

 Beautiful Roses from my Baby!

 My handsome Husband.

 Hmm... What's new on the menu? (Inside joke!) (The menu NEVER changes!)

 Rafeeq & Jaco

 Nic, Nelis, Eddie, Leana & Bronwyn

The Photogs were dining beside us! Larisa, Nacho, Taufiq & Craig

 The work of the AMAZING Mario Sales

Mario's Artistic Talents on our Special Day!