St. Bart’s, St. Lucia, Tobago

Gustavia, St. Bart’s

Finally, our first stop and it felt wonderful to put our feet on solid ground, especially when the skies were sunny and the temperature was in the mid 80’s. This island has only one town, Gustavia, and this is where we docked.  Actually we were out in the harbour and tendered into town. It is a very small and shallow harbour, but did contain many beautiful yachts and boats.  We were warned not to shop on this island because items are highly priced, but we did walk past all the high-end shops.  They speak French and very little English.

Our shore excursion was scheduled for the afternoon, so we walked through the town and swam at a lovely shell beach near town. All the beaches are public and free of charge. Animals are forbidden and nudism is prohibited.  Apparently the locals don’t abide by the rules!  I nearly lost Eric a few times when he almost walked into a tree and a large rock.

Our shore excursion was called “trekking in St. Bart’s” and we, along with another couple were picked up by the tour guide and driven to the opposite side of the island to begin our trek to “Anse de Colombier”, a beautiful secluded beach on the north eastern end of the island.  We were about half way along the lovely trail when I tripped on a small rock and fell. I scraped the side of my leg and seriously wounded by pride! I could not continue the hike, but did find a nice shady spot to sit and wait for the rest of them. I am okay now, but my leg has a nasty scab. I have never fallen while hiking and was not impressed.

Our trekking pathway

The injury ... very swollen

Airport runway ... over the ocean

St. Bart’s was a pretty island, but really doesn’t have much tourist appeal. We did start to see some nice shore birds though.

                                                                                      Castries, St. Lucia

Magnificent St. Lucia – with towering mountains, dense rain forest, fertile green valleys and acres of banana plantations – lies in the middle of the Windward islands. Downtown Castries was within walking district of the pier and the produce market and adjacent crafts and vendors’ markets were the main attractions. There were 4 ships in the harbour; Carnival, Regent, Danish and another European ship.

Castries Harbour

This was the day that Judi did the 4 x 4 Beach Safari Adventure and Eric went zip-lining.

The beach adventure was wonderful. We were seated in the back of an open 4 x 4 (14 of us) and driven across the island. Of course, the roads were narrow and wound all over the place. We then went off road to the beach. This road made the road to our wood lot look like a 4-lane expressway. The beach was beautiful and it was so nice to sit in the shade and relax. They served spiced rum, but I knew to stay clear of it.

4 x 4 Beach Safari Beach

The zipline was interesting to say the least.  All 14 of the group piled into a bus for the hour long drive to the rainforest site.  Along the way I noted that the islanders have not thrown away any corrugated metal since the product was invented .  It would not be possible to imagine any other uses for the material.

The rainforest was as dense as can be imagined in a climate that would overgrow any open area in a very few months. We were outfitted with a helmit , gloves , a safety lanyard, a secondary shoulder harness and a main seat (mountain climbing) harness. The instructor showed the method for sitting in the harness and controlling the experience. The zipline was constructed  in 12 segments with walkways between the sections. The shortest line was a couple of hundred feet long and the others varied from 500 to 1000 feet each. The walkways were trails with stairs  ,the trek between line 11 and line 12 was several hundred feet in length with 104 stairs  in  various places as well as inclined ramps.  Some of the lines ended 30 to 50 feet up in a tree and you transferred from one zip line to the next by the local youth that were employed to ensure our safety. One tree in particular had a zipline attached near the base . Another 30 feet above it . The low ziplines went through narrow trenches cut between the trees, others were through circular openings trimmed through the passage and some were above all. The highest was 150 feet above the valley. Not recommended for the faint of heart.

Scarborough, Tobago

Another beautiful, hot day!  We docked at 8:30, but only had 6 hours in port. We were the only cruise ship. We were looking forward to this island because Alan and Lydia had spent quite a lot of time there. Our shore excursion was to the rainforest and this was a major undertaking for such a short stop.

We were loaded into two busses and started out on the 90 minute drive to the rainforest. It was a wonderful drive along the coastline and then 1,600 feet up into the rainforest. We drove through the area where Alan and Lydia had volunteered, some of the names I remember are Goodwill, Pembroke and Argyle.

Once we arrived at the hiking trail, those who had worn sandels were outfitted in rubber boots or running shoes. They passed out walking sticks and I was very thankful that I had brought mine along. Eric was busy running around taking bird pictures … this was the first time we had seen colourful birds.

We hiked in the trail for about 45 minutes and it was quite rugged and wet, making it a challenge at times. But it was so beautiful to stand there, look up and down and marvel at all the types of vegetation. The beauty was overwhelming!  We wished we could have hung out there a lot longer.

Trekking through the rainforest

 Our trip back once again hugged the coastline and we were very impressed with the beaches. We got back to the ship 10 minutes before it set sail, so we did not get a chance to shop. This island was far nicer than the other two stops and we wished we could have stayed longer.

Relaxing after a hard day!

Today we are still heading south and we must be very close to the equator, as sunrise and sunset are at exactly the same time.

We are enjoying life on board and have met more lovely people. Today’s temperature was 91 and the water temperature was 86.

All for now ….. love to everyone.

ON THE HIGH SEAS

Finally, a bit of time to relax!  This is Tuesday and we have been on the ship since Sunday afternoon.  Backing up a bit, we left Lakeland on Saturday morning and stopped in Ft. Myers to see friends we met on our last cruise (Myrna and Terry Nelson).  It was great to catch up on the past year.

We drove to Miami across Alligator Alley and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Our walk through the evergades

At Miami we got a hotel room near the airport … not the best part of town to say the least. On Sunday morning we piled all our luggage in the car and left it at the cruise terminal, then we returned the rental car to the airport. We were amazed that the car rental area is a whole separate complex with a train to the airport. We figured we would have to take the train to the airport and then take a shuttle back to the cruise terminal, but they had a free shuttle right from the car rental area to the terminal. There were 5 cruise ships docked; 2 Carnival, 2 Norwegian and our ship.  Our little ship was dwarfed by the other ships.

Leaving Miami

It felt so good to get back on board!  This ship is 5/8 the size of our ship last year, but still has all   amenities. The cruise appears to be nearly full with about 470 passengers; 430 of them being returning passengers.  For a cruise with so many challenging ports and aggressive shore excursions, we are amazed at the number of wheelchairs and infirmed passengers … they just love to cruise.

Bruce and Jane had friends on the cruise and we got together with them the first night.  Lovely people and I am sure we will have lots more good times with them. First morning at the coffee bar we met another couple from  Musquodoboit Harbour! What a small world.  We were so glad to see our friends Pat and Gordon Gray once again.  They have one of the Master Suites and have invited us to a private formal dinner in their suite on Dec. llth.

Eric doing his daily walk ... got to get those blood sugars down!

The sun feels SO GOOD!!

We love to play bridge with the Gray’s and have had two days of bridge so far. The director is Patti Miller and this is her first cruise with Regent.  There is a new agent in charge of bridge for Regent and she is just thrilled to be on board. Pretty cool way to cruise.

The food on board is as good as ever; in fact, it seems to me to be better than the other ship.  Wonderful good choices, something for everyone. Actually, too much for everyone!

The weather has been good, but it is now cloudy and there is a risk of thunder showers.

We just finished the “block party” where we all go out into the hallway with our empty wine glasses and meet our neighbours. The captain, first officer and cruise director come through and meet everyone. I always find it interesting as people are all bragging up their cruises, where they have been and where they are going.  When asked where we were from, there was a blank look from them all … you are so far from home!  I felt like mentioning that we are much closer than the couples from Britain and California!

Not too much excitement so far.  Tomorrow we visit St. Barts and we are going to trek the island. Also tomorrow we start to take our malaria pills.

Oh yes, the air temperature was high 80’s today and the water temperature was 84!

Tonight we went to the new Italian Restaurant for our first time. This is a new feature on Regent cruise ships and is absolutely amazing.  It is totally Italian and was a wonderful meal. Our waiter was Italian and looks like her and her husband have been hired to work only in this restaurant.  Our other waiter was Indian and says he can see the sunrise and sunset from the same place. His wife is due to have a baby in February and he is going home then. His Father fishes and he gets all the shrimp and lobster he would ever want.  I told him we were from Canada and can say the same thing.  He kept coming back to talk to us, saying that he could never put his arm around another women in his culture (as he put his around me).  He was so happy as are most of the employees, especially those from the Philipines

All this food  … yikes!  Well, my size 10 pants still fit!!!!!!  This is only day 3 of 23!!

We now have the warning to keep our balcony doors closed.  This is to keep out the humidity as well as the bugs. It is starting to get humid ….. I absolutely love it, but poor Eric is melting.

Tomorrow when we go to St. Barts we are advised to wear our bathing suits under our cover-ups.  Yippie!!  I have been waiting for this.

Our first shore excursion …. More to come after we complete the next three days,

Much love to everyone ……

Halifax to Florida

Andrea safely delivered us to the airport on Wednesday morning and after having to de-ice the plane, we were off! We arrived in Orlando on time at 1:15.

 Somewhere over Florida

We are enjoying a beautiful sunny day here in Lakeland with Bruce and Jane Walker. We all went golfing this morning. I was the official photographer and drove one of the carts.

This is US Thanksgiving and everything is closed, waiting for Black Friday to begin. Actually, some stores open their doors in the late afternoon today.  We are invited out for Thanksgiving dinner up the street.

Not much more excitement here.  It is nice to have a few quiet days before we pick up the cruise on Sunday.

All for now and Happy Thanksgiving!

Amazon Adventure 2012

Welcome to this year's fantastic voyage 400 miles up the Amazon River.  This is a real adventure for us as it definitely goes way beyond our comfort zone.  Not only do we get to explore new places, but we also will be cruising for 23 days.  I am packing all my camera gear and hope to be able to get some unique photos, especially of the birds.

This is a map of our trip, showing our stops along the way.  We are sailing on the Regent Navigator which only holds 490 passengers.  We leave Miami on November 25 and return on December 18.  

Our ship .... Regent Navigator

Manaus, the “Paris of the Jungle,” is the capital of Brazil’s state of Amazonas. The former river village rests along the left bank of the Rio Negro, which merges with the mighty Amazon. This is the famous opera house we will be touring,

We leave Middleton on November 20th and fly from Halifax to Orlando on November 21st. We are looking forward to staying with our friends Bruce and Jane Walker in Lakelands before the cruise.

Keep posted ..... and please remember us in your prayers.

Safely Home

Sadly we had to leave Orlando on Sunday morning.  Our flights were easy, with beautiful weather. Only problem was we had to wait in line at Newark for 17 planes to take off.  Andrea and Dave met us at the airport at 9:30 pm and we spent the night in Halifax.
Home today at 2 pm.  Nice to be home and we are looking forward to the mad dash to Christmas. I don't have any Christmas cards or Christmas shopping done yet ...... but ..... life is good!
Stay tuned for our adventure next November when we cruise up the Amazon River.

Florida ... the sunshine State

We awoke on my birthday, December 4, to a gorgeous view of the Ft. Lauderdale port.  There were 2 more cruise ships getting ready to dock. We had to vacate our suite by 8 am, so we found a couple of comfortable chairs near the departure area and read our Kindles.  When we left the ship, we counted 6 more ships in dock.
Fortunately, we were the first group to disembark and for the first time in 7 days, felt our feet on dry ground.  We took the free shuttle to the car rental at the airport and by 10 am, were heading north on I 95 to meet up with Bob and Francine in Orlando.
Our timeshare is outside of Orlando (Summer Bay Resort) and is perfect for a nice relaxing time away from the large populated areas.  We have a pond with all the appropriate birds and water fowl, as well as a pool.  It still takes me awhile to realize that it is less than three weeks to Christmas, but the lovely Christmas decorations bring me back to reality.
On Tuesday Eric and Bob went golfing and Francine and I sat out by the pool. When the boys returned from golfing about 3 pm, we went over to the larger pool for "Happy Hour".  The boys wanted to swim, after a hot round of golf. When we got to the pool there was caution tape around the pool.  They had a "hazardous object" alert!  There was a small turd on the bottom of the pool.  Apparently, they had to close the pool and wait for a special team to arrive to remove the "foreign object".  Then they had to drain the pool and they expected the pool to be closed for 24 hours!!  We had a good laugh when we took a peek at the foreign object.  It was about the size of a Timbit and probaly rolled out of a baby's bathing suit.
Yesterday we travelled East to the Kennedy Space Center and had a wonderful day! We did the full tour and even went in the Space Shuttle simulator.
As I am writing this, we are watching a Great Egret sitting on the raiing of our balcony.

We are off to Lakeland today to visit our friends Bruce and Jane Walker.  Bruce is taking Eric and Bob golfing and Francine and I will spend the day with Jane.

Bobbing Around in the Atlantic

Just finished our fourth day at sea.  According to the captain, we are over the half-way point in crossing the Atlantic.  We saw a freighter today, going west ... nice to know we are not alone out here!  Very unfortunate for whoever they had the emergency call for tonight while we were at supper.  It was on deck 11 and they put the all throughout the ship.  First one of those since we departed.
A further bit of information concerning the man who broke his hip on our tour to the winery .... he was from Ottawa (I might have written Toronto in error) and had set out for the cruise with another couple from Ottawa.  Apparently, on the flight from Ottawa to Rome,  the gentleman from the other couple died on the flight!  His wife returned to Ottawa with the body and the other couple went on to the cruise.
On a much brighter note, we are so much enjoying our bridge cruise.  Larry Cohen is a wonderful teacher and is a great host on the cruise.  He and his wife have made it a point to have dinner each night with people on the bridge cruise.  We are due to dine with them on Friday night ... all our friends at the Friday bridge club can think of us on Friday night while you are playing bridge.  Today he gave each of us a "gift" .. his teaching CD's.  Very nice of him as they are each valued at $20.
Got to love the trans Atlantic travel.  When we left Rome, we had 6 time zones to recover and   tonight is our fourth time change.  We are still one hour ahead of Nova Scotia, but getting close!
It is now Thursday and tomorrow we will be back on Atlantic Standard Time. We had rough seas last night and things settled down by noon.  Now it is clear sailing and Eric plans on watching the stars tonight.
We have developed a nice daily routine.  Bridge occupies the morning and afternoon until 4:30 when we go to our suite and have a drink on the balcony.  We face south, so we have the sun all day.  After watching thr sun set, we get dressed up for dinner, but go the lounge before dinner.  They have lovely music; in fact it is a young French girl from Montreal who is accompanied on the piano by a cute young British fellow.  Then we go to dinner at one of the 3 restaurants. We always choose to share a table and meet some very interesting people.  I don't think we have eaten with anyone who is on their first Regent cruise ....  they cruise all the time!!
All for now .... love to all