An inquisitive iguana!

Oops! Sorry - forgot to upload photos on the prebious log!!!
Here it is again...

Sunday 30^th December – Curacao.

“Discover Curacao” trip was a bit disappointing. We would have been better staying in Willemstad (the capital) which is very pretty.

Walked across the floating swing-bridge (only just making it before it opened!) and had to get a ferry back to the ship.

Watched the ship leave port from the “owner’s suite” balcony. It pays to have friends in high places. Have been invited to dine at the Captain’s Table for New Year’s Eve!!! We said ok…

 

 Stained glass window showing the extent of the Dutch West Indies

 Hope you can see the swing bridge!

 Sunrise over Curacao

Captain (with the shades) gives the order to cast off. We've a good vantage point!

Friday 28^th December – Marguerita Island, Venezuela.

No photographs today... We had a quiet day. Spent the morning on the beach which was only about 500 yards from the ship but was very much a local’s beach. Lots of families were there with pic-nics and barbeques just enjoying themselves in the sea and on the beach.

Only a very small shop in the port facility but managed to buy a bottle of “Old Tom” gin for $7US. Had tasted it in my ginvent calendar, so knew it was nice!

Saturday 29^th December – La Guaria, Venezuela.

No trips booked from the ship and advised not to go ashore independently as the barrios (slums) come right down the hillside by the port.

Ship berthed right under the main runway for the town, so we have planes taking off over us all day… You can imagine how much I enjoyed that!!

 

 

As you can see there's not much room on the slopes for development

Sunday 30^th December – Curacao.

“Discover Curacao” trip was a bit disappointing. We would have been better staying in Willemstad (the capital) which is very pretty.

Walked across the floating swing-bridge (only just making it before it opened!) and had to get a ferry back to the ship.

Watched the ship leave port from the “owner’s suite” balcony. It pays to have friends in high places. Have been invited to dine at the Captain’s Table for New Year’s Eve!!! We said ok…

 

Christmas Day – All at Sea

Had a small chocolate Christmas tree each from Voyager.  Gave our presents to select members of the crew.  Watched the officers versus passengers giant Jenga out on deck and then had a barbeque for lunch!!  Afternoon carol service to remind us it is Christmas.  Biggest disappointment from the semi-formal Christmas meal - no pigs in blankets with our turkey!  Highlight was talking to kids on the phone when we finally got near enough an island to get a signal.  Maybe New Year will be better.

 

 The Captain shows his Jenga skills - it wasn't misty, just so humid the lense on the camera fogged up!

 Ready for the formal meal - like the tuxedo!

The waiting staff enjoy a Christmas egg-nog!

 

 

Wednesday 26^th December – Grenada.

What a lovely island.  Our driver/guide, Trevor sang us calypsos as we travelled along narrow twisty roads past lush vegetation.  Spice plantation really interesting.  Have bought some to bring home and make the kitchen smell nice.  We would come here again.

 Calypso - Grenada style

 That is real fruit on their heads!

 Nesta, with our house in the background

 Monkeys are quite common in Grenada

This is actually Cocoa - so chocolate really does grow on trees!

 

Thursday 27^th December – Scarborough, Tobago.

Not such a pretty island.  Highlight of our tour was meeting Eddie Izzard’s Caribbean cousin, Philip who enthused about the Arnos Vale water wheel and old sugar plantation he is restoring.

Were invited to drinks and a meal with the Captain and senior Officers tonight for us and fellow passengers on for the whole circumnavigation.  A good evening with fine wine and polite conversation.

We have lost two of our fellow passengers who have decided Voyager is not for them and have gone home to Barbados for New Year.  They have donated their ‘owner’s suite’ cabin to one of our friends who is suddenly very popular with the single ladies on board!  I just want to use his Jacuzzi as a washing machine!!

 Nativity scene - Caribbean style

 Tobago wild life!

 Bats!!!!

Our Tobagan friend Phillip spoting forth about the oldest iron water wheel in the world!

Friday 21^st December. Bridgetown, Barbados.

Walked up to the Kensington Oval (where the final of the 2007 World Cup was played).  Enjoyed a private tour of all areas including the pitch.  Thirsty work so headed for the nearest bar which was behind the museum of cricket.  Discovered this is mainly a locals bar and it is where the cricketers drink when they are around.  3 members of the West Indies under 19 team were there so we got their autographs in case one of them becomes the new Garfield Sobers!  They are planning a tour to England in 2013 but we think their current name of ‘The G-spot tigers’ may need to be changed!!

I called the ship ‘Home’ today for the first time so we must be getting institutionalised!

 Ian standing with Garfield Sobers

The pavillion at the Kensington Oval

Saturday 22^nd December.  Castries, St Lucia.

This Island is known in the UK for its ‘Sandals’ resorts, of which it has 3.  We went on a best of tour and noted not the luxury but the poverty around the island.  Kids are kids everywhere though and when we thought we were taking discrete photos in the fishing village of Anse-La-Raye, ‘Louis’ borrowed us and helped us take pictures of his mum, who had definitely been drinking or smoking something, and some of his friends.

 Icepops of the Caribbean!

 Louis wanted his photo taken

 Sandles Resort - how most people view St Lucia

 Local church ready for Christmas

Funny looking soldiers they have round here!

Sunday 23^rd December.  Point-a-Pitre, Guadaloupe.

Explored the town in the morning.   Very quiet until Church was over and then the start of the Christmas celebrations and Carnival began.

The afternoon island tour mainly made us empathise with the floods in UK as we got completely soaked.  Our coach was very British though and we did the full 4 hours unlike the other 2 coaches who returned to the Ship to dry out.  It was definitely a ‘travelling experience’ rather than a time of great enjoyment!

 Christmas celebrations in Guadeloupe

 Church is over so the Carnival begins!

 Making up her own dance

 Everyone joins in

 Fortunately, Nesta isn't this size yet!!

 This flower is called a Pink Ginger Flower

 Hard to believe this is a working rum distillery

Thw Master's House on an old sugar plantation, now a rum distillery

Christmas Eve!  Not Montserrat!!

We were due to anchor at sea and tender ashore but the swell was too big to make this safe.  Landing was abandoned but the Captain took the Ship around as near as possible to the Volcano and the town of Plymouth.  Much better view from here than we would have got ashore!

 Whwew we would have landed in Montserrat

 Damage in Plymouth - only the tops of houses visible above the ash

 You can see where the lava made it's way to the sea

 Our lifeboat pretending to be a tender

Nesta getting on to the tender

As you can see, we went to Nevis and Nesta went ashore in the lifeboats that were serving as tenders.

There was a bit of excitement when one of them broke down (not ours!) and the one that worked smashed against the jetty in Nevis – so you can imagine there were some very cross passengers.

We went to midnight service and everyone finally remembered that it was Christmas!!

Wednesday 19th – Friday 21st December – Bridgetown, Barbados.

 

Strong winds overnight led to a rocky trip with not enough sleep.  Still Barbados is worth it and our favourite island to date.  Did Coast to Coast half day tour.   Enjoyed celebrating Kay’s birthday with champagne, expensive wine and port after our posh meal.

 

Thursday and end of first cruise.  Had a fabulous morning.  Took a taxi with our new found friends to Carlisle bay and finally swam in the Caribbean!  Patrick and Helene’s friend, Neville took us out about 200yards from shore and I snorkelled and swam with green turtles.  Managed to get Skype to work and spoke to our three girls – brilliant to see them.  Boys both working so will have to try again soon.   At 2.30 all our friends left and at 5.30 the new passengers arrived.  Lots more people to get to know now.

 East coast of Barbados - no need for the shades yet!

 Finally... a foot in the Caribbean

 Bathsheba, Barbados

 Ian swimming in the Caribbean with Tom, Fred, Anne, Helene and Patrick

 An impromptu boat trip to swim with turtles

The zoom on the camera is good - Ian was on the beach when he took this!



Well - that's the end of our first cruise.....

The "b" word still hasn't been used. We really like Barbados, so look out for more on our blog on "Gems of the Caribbean" starting Friday 21st December.....

Monday 17^th December – Antigua.

 

Did a half day tour over to English Harbour via some hill forts with spectacular views.  Saw homes belonging to the rich and famous.  Falmouth and Nelson’s Dockyard were very picturesque.  Our free rum punch tasted very innocuous but proved lethal and we skipped lunch and had a sleep when we got back to the Ship!  Rained again tonight but that didn’t stop us sitting on the veranda deck with Tom putting the world to rights.  Tom, as the Choirmaster, gets half price drinks so we ended up having twice as many – what a saving!

 Rainbow off Antigua

 Sunrise coming into Antigua (the camera is still on English time!)

 This is how near to the town the ship parked

 Dow's Hill, Antigua

 View of Falmouth

 English harbour from Shirley Heights

 Eric Clapton's place in the country

Famous Antiguan cactus!

Tuesday 18^th December – Martinique.

 

First time in the French West Indies. Really strange to use euros as currency and see all the road signs in French. Trivia quiz question… Fort de France is the administrative centre of the island but the capital of Martinique is? – Paris!  Enjoyed driving through tropical rain forest.  The Franck Perrett volcano museum in St Pierre was interesting; with photographs and artefacts from before and after the 3 minutes it took for 30,000 people to die in a pyroclastic cloud, when Mount Pelee erupted in 1902.

 Yet another rainbow (oops!)

 Active volcano - Mount Pelee - is up there in the clouds, honest!

 Rum Distillery, Martinique. The highlight!

 St John's Cathedral

Sunset over Fort de France