Trips

Fri., 2/21/14 – St. Thomas, USVI
            This morning we took our first cruise excursion.  We boarded a small catamaran with 28 other guests and three crew and sailed out to Buck Island to do a little snorkeling.  The guide pointed out some fish and dove to the bottom (25’) and brought up an anemone.  I saw one turtle and some colorful fish and got so cold I “finned” my way back to the boat to dry off and warm up.  The water was clear but the reef was all dead.  The guides threw out bread crumbs to attract the fish.  We shared the cove with at least three other excursion boats.
            When we were all back on board we were served rum/grapefruit punch or champagne and ate pretzel snacks.   Since we had time because no one stayed in the water very long, we went to another spot and found young green turtles.  They are fun to watch.  We sat or stood through several rain showers on this tour.

Flag of the US Virgin Islands
Windmill	Cute little fellow
Buck Island	We got back to our ship in time for lunch and then went back out to walk around some of the town.  It was two miles over to Charlotte Amalie, the main downtown.  We didn’t want to get wet in another rain shower so we stayed near the ship.

Sat., 2/22/14 – St. John’s, Antigua
            We docked in the small harbor of St. John’s on the island of Antigua at 8 AM. We had signed up for an excursion called “Beach Escape.”  Twelve passenger vans drove us to Dickenson Bay with a nice sandy beach, calm water, lounge chairs, and an umbrella – for an extra $10.  It was chilly, the water was cool, and we huddled under the umbrella and put up the two we brought through several rain showers and cloudbursts.  The sun did come out occasionally and we walked along the beach and Gale got in the water for a while.  They served us “free” rum punch.  It poured rain again and we huddled under the roof at the bar until we got a taxi back to the port. 

            After lunch we went back into town and bought a spoon and walked around town and up to the old Catholic Church that was damaged in a 1979 earthquake and was in great need of repair.  A four-man steel drum band played for us on the dock.

Flag of Antigua
Gale floating at Dickenson Bay Beach	We docked very close to town
St. John's Cathedral (being renovated)	Steel drums on the dock to entertain us

Sun., 2/23/14 – St. Lucia
             Today was a fun day on St. Lucia.  At 8 AM we began our excursion into the island countryside and learned about Lushan Country life.  On our 30 minute mini-bus ride our local guide, Sylvia, told us about what we were seeing and explained the history of St. Lucia                 

Flag of St. Lucia
At the Lushan Country Preserve we learned about the life of the native Lushan people before Columbus sailed by in 1502.  We walked through the forest with a guide who told us about trees, flowers, birds, and medicinal plants.  We stood in a typical grass and tree family hut – small and minimal.  We sampled native fruits – soursop (a Cancer prevention fruit), mango, coconut, orange, etc.  We sampled Creole “fry bread” and fish fritters.  “Mama” told us in her “kitchen” how food and eating was managed before all the modern conveniences.  It was an informative learning experience.	Coconut husk garden
Heliconia	Tall palm tree
Assorted tropical fruits	Bird of Paradise
	St. Lucia Warbler (yellow breast on left) and a Trembler
Market	On the way back to the ship we drove through the fishing village of Gros Islet.  Sylvia described the Friday Night Street Party that happens here every week.        In Castries we wandered briefly before reboarding the Ryndam.  Most stores were closed because it is Sunday.
On board, we ate lunch in the main dining room and watched the sail away with a view of Pigeon Island and down along the coast to the old French capital of Soufriere.  Three tenders from our ship went in to Sulfur Bay to pick up our passengers whose excursions ended in Soufriere.  We had a good look at the Pitons, the steep peaks that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.	The Pitons

 

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