Caribbean Cruise (Our 100th Post !!)

So many of our friends keep asking, "When are you going to post photos of your cruise to your blog?"  and "We miss reading what you've been up to".  So I decided to try and catch up on the last few months.

After turning Balsa into Canine Companions for her Professional Training, we decided to take a week's cruise during the middle of March to the Eastern Caribbean, leaving from Ft. Lauderdale Florida, visiting the islands of Puerto Rico, St. Marrten, St. Thomas, and  Eleuthera, then back to Ft. Lauderdale.  Our first day was spent at sea, very relaxing - just sleeping, walking around the ship, eating good food, watching the shows and eating some more.

.Our 1st stop, Puerto Rico, it's 77 degrees today.  The ship docked in the evening hours, so we only had from 4pm until 10pm on the island.  We decided to take an Old Town New Town tour, (trying to see as much as possible in as short of time as possible).  Our guide drove through the new downtown section, (pointing out all the government buildings and hotels - pretty much all there was to New PR).  Then up the hill to the famous PR fort, build by the US to protect the southern US region from invasion.  Very impression how it was designed, (mostly under ground and in the mountain).

The views from the fort of the town of San Juan were spectacular!!  We had a 360 degree view.  Then down to the beach to watch the sun set, can we again say SPECTACULAR !!     Next stop - Old Town San Juan. 

The buildings were all very well constructed, and as is traditional in PR, very colorful all painted pastel.  I love viewing architecture from different countries when we travel.  Then when I come home, I can look at an area of town and say "aww - that's just like such as such a country"..

Next we were lucky enough for our guide to stop in the Old Town Square, where there was a crafts festival being held.  We did some shopping for souvenirs, then walked around popping in the old shops and purchasing more trinkets.  After an hour of browsing, we needed to head back to the tour bus so we could head for the ship to set sail for St. Maarten. 

 2nd stop on our trip - Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, (on the Dutch side), it's 77 degrees today.  We have most of the day on the island, and we signed up for a Segway tour.  We cruised up and down the boardwalk and along the beach.  Our tour guide took this photo of us on the beach with our ship in the background.

Afterwards we wandered around enjoying the beautiful beach, sampling the wonderful foods, people watching, and relaxing.  It is so amazing how blue the water is down here.  The beaches are so clean, just like paradise.

 Some more touring along the shops more trinkets to buy, and souvenirs to take home, more sampling of local foods.

Because the Dutch settlement population is 60% larger than the French population - and the Dutch side of the island is only 40% of the island the buildings are very crowded and there is not a lot of room for outward growth.  On our next visit I would very much like to visit the French side, even though it is said to be very "adult oriented" beaches.   The weather is beautiful and the people very friendly.

 Our next stop - Crown Bay, St. Thomas, (it's 84 degrees today).  The weather is perfect.  We pull into port, spend 2 hours doing some shopping, then catch a ferry over to St. John's island for a whole day of snorkeling at Trunk Bay, a Marine national park. 

Our ferry pulls up to the most beautiful island, and after just a short 15 minute van ride, we are at the beach.  We see the most breathtaking coral reefs and a colorful spectrum of marine life like no other.  And under the water are anchored lighted identification boards with photos and information about the different fish and marine life that live in the area.  It was great - but the water and sun sure do zap the energy out of you.

The ferry trip back to the dock was a quiet one, as everyone was so tired.  But our ferry captain pointed out the celebrity owned islands. This one is owned by Kenney Chesney.  Oprah has one, Madonna owns one, and for a mere sum of $11.5 million dollars there is a small island for sale close by St. Johns - anyone in the market for some real estate??       This was by far my most favorite stop on the cruise and I want to come back again.

Next we spent another relaxing day at sea - sleeping in, getting a couples massage up on the top deck, (this deck was reserved for adults - no kids running around).  Very peaceful and relaxing.  The weather was a beautiful 76 degrees today.  For dinner, we had the most wonderful steak and lobster dinners at the specialty steak and seafood house.  I have never had food so wonderfully good!!!

Our last stop was the island of Princess Cays (pronounced Keys), Eleuthera, today it's 79 degrees and there is just a slight breeze, a typical island day.  Eleuthera is a tiny island only 2 miles wide and 110 miles long.  Our tour will start at Bannerman Town, (which is part of Princess Cays), and travel to the northern tip of the island, to Tarpum Bay.  One of our 1st stops is at an elementary school to visit with the kindergarten class.  Education is very important on the island - the children start school at 4 years old and when they are ready to attend high school must take a ferry to the neighboring island.

 The class of students sang 4 songs for us, (Welcome to our Class, Days of the Week, Colors, and ABC).  Then after coming around the room to shake our hands, they split up into small groups to visit with us.  The 2 girls and 2 boys who visited with Dave and I, were very interested in my camera and how I could take photos and instantly see them on the display screen.  It was so cute to visit with these little ones.

After a couple more stops to tour government buildings, and tour the small little towns along our route, (learning the history of the island), We stopped by Whiteland Beach, one of the more exclusive areas.  The water was so blue, as it was at all the islands on our cruise.  Watching the sailboats was so peaceful to the soul.

Then we stopped at Four Points Restaurant for lunch, the center of town had this make shift destination marker.  The town was so small the police officer, (a cousin of our tour guide), drove a little motor scooter.  Gave everyone on the bus quite a chuckle.

 Next stop Tarpum Bay.  Dave wandered out to the ocean.  Now I know Dave well enough to know exactly what he's thinking...  "How can I gather up enough conch, and where can I find someone to make me some conch salad.  And, can Barbara watch them make it and learn, so she can make it at home"  Oh yea - you know he's thinking that....

Well, what do you know, leave it to Dave to find a couple of women who actually know how to make conch salad right there on the beach.  With fresh, out of the sea, conch!!!  And they explain the process in great detail.  Only 2 problems - we don't have conch in Utah and if we did who's going to shuck it??

Well Dave scores some freshly make conch salad and here's the proof...  But, how does it taste??

Well it must be good, Dave gives it a thumbs up.  I got one bite and indeed it was good.  Sort of like seafood salad.

Then a couple of Dave's girlfriends come over and tell him "Man, if you be eating our conch salad - then you better be doing the Junkanoo Dance with us to pay for it"...  Dave says, "OK, Let's do it !!"

By then it was time to climb back on our bus and head back down South to Princess Cays and board our ship.  Tomorrow we dock back in Ft Lauderdale and that means tonight we have to get all our treasures packed up and be ready for a 7:00 am disembarking.  When we got home, Trevor loved his Bob Marley T-Shirt, Audra oohed over her handmade bag, Ian's tropical shirt was a perfect fit and he said "thumbs up, good job Grams".  Durell, (one of my co-workers), was all smiles that I found his special rum cake that we asked for.  

Our memories are sweet and our bodies were tanned and tired.  Guess it truly was a good trip.