Day 7: Last day is at sea

After yesterday's events in Aruba, today is pure bliss. Our day started at 7:45am when we were awoken by the spa reminding us of our appointment -"Thank you very much - we are on our way!" We had the opportunity (more like money) to be able to get a "Pick Three" treatment earlier in the week (I got a mini-facial, foot & ankle massage, and a Frangipani hair treatment & scalp massage; hubby got the foot & ankle massage, hair treatment & scalp massage, and a hand treatment. We were limited on what treatments we could pick, but for $50 lasting 50 minutes, it was nice) and that set the tone.

We picked a hot-stone treatment which is very good for deep tissue muscle relaxation. Although I was a little uncomfortable at first about being completely naked under a thin drape, I was actually more concerned about not peeing because I was so relaxed. And after 75 minutes of pure bliss, I had to go pee so bad! But I was thoroughly relaxed! I would so pay the money to do that again (note to self: It's cheaper to do it while we are docked rather than at sea).

We went to breakfast - I finally had some waffles (although they applied way too much syrup for my taste)! Then? We went back to bed. This was quite easy considering we were still lathered with lavender and chamomile oils from the massage.

Our friends were finally dismissed from quarantine and we met them at the Art Auction. We didn't really plan on buying anything. It's just something the rich do... oh, and the free champagne they were handing out!

While we were waiting for the art auction to get underway, right next door they were having a wine and food tasting seminar. We decided to join the fun and see what wines go with what foods. Although there are no true rules of which wine goes with which food, it's more an answer of personal taste, but we did get some great hints.


We went back to the art auction, even more giddy than when we left, had a few more glasses of champagne (8 rounds of Grande Spumante....9 rounds of Grands Spumante... to the tune of "10 Rounds of Jose Quervo"). We almost bid on a few pictures by Andrew Bone, a reknowned artist who depicts African wildlife so beautifully. It was a pretty good deal for two paintings, but we obviously don't have the money (especially with the way the market is dreadfully declining).


For the rest of the evening prior to dinner, we shopped at the onboard stores (actually we didn't buy anything - turned out the rum fudge didn't have any liquor in it and the coconut patties I could get at the commissary for half the price), packed our bags to be picked up later in the evening, and take any last minute pics of the ship.

When we arrived at dinner, we exchanged email addresses with our new found friends, gave them my business card actually so I could create a baby book or a reunion album and talked about our weeks events. I had totally forgotten about telling Celebrity that hubby and I were celebrating our anniversary (actually it was in January, but they don't need to know that. We were actually invited to a party that we missed with more champagne and delicious cake - or so we were told by our friends who were actually celebrating their anniversary that week) and we were "surprised" with an anniversary cake for dessert (in addition to the other dessert we had ordered of course).


After dinner we celebrated our last day of the cruise with our friends and a bottle of champagne that they won at the anniversary gathering that we missed. They won it because they were the couple that had been married the shortest amount of years.... 7 years. If we had gone to the gathering, we would have won it with 5 years. So of course, they shared it with us. It was cheap sparkling wine I'm sure, but it was a nice way to end the evening.


Would we do it again? Absolutely! In fact, our friends are planning another cruise in October to the Mediterranean (we don't have the money to go on that one!). When we go on our next one, we'll be sure to invite them again. We had such a blast sharing our adventures with them and we can't wait to do it again!


Cheers!

Day 6: Aruba baby!

Our last stop on our adventurous cruise and boy were we tired. And we still had one more excursion on Aruba (thank goodness I already booked a hot-stone massage for tomorrow while we were at sea!)


Smallest and most westerly of the ABC group of the Netherland Antilles, Aruba is just 19 miles long and only 6 miles wide. On one side of the island, the constant oceanic rage is so violent at times, so unsettling in its effect, and so eerie in its mood that one can forget how calm and quiet the opposite side of the island can be with its pristine white sand beaches. Some natives can speak as many as 5 languages: Papiamento, their own unique language, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and English! On a calm, quiet day, Venezuela can be seen from the southern most coast of Aruba.


The off road Jeep adventure tour began at 8am when we met our group and tour guide outside the terminal to be taken to the company's main building. We waited around another 30 minutes or so before they finally got everyone checked in (signed a waiver saying you were physically fit to join the adventure) and away we went. When we picked this excursion, it was mainly because it was an all day tour, we could see the entire island, there were places to snorkel along the way, we were fed lunch, and there were a maximum of four people per vehicle. When we set off, there were a total of 8-10 people per vehicle and we were sitting sideways in the back. Not fun for those bumping roads (unless of course you are in the military like hubby and are totally used to it from his days in Iraq!).

It started off as a cloudy day with occasional sprinkles in the morning, but the sun slowly came out closer to mid-day. Our first stop, California Point where a lighthouse named after the U.S. ship California sunk just off the coast 2 years prior to its construction in 1910. Perched on a high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba's scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island's western coastline of sandy beaches, rolling sand dunes and rocky coral shorelines.


We proceeded along the north coast line until we started seeing small piles of rocks and small stacks of coral. These were obviously placed here by other people, some more obvious and elaborate than others (there was one pile that included shoes and sponges and sticks). Our tour guide told us that visitors come here, as well as other locations on the island, stack a few rocks together, and make a wish. If we would like to do the same, he gave us 10 minutes to find the perfect spot. One person even thought about putting her business card under the stacks to bring her company good luck (wish I had thought of that with my new business). Turns out, one girls dream came true and her boyfriend proposed to her while she was making her own stack of rocks and coral.


Our next stop was to the Chapel of Our Lady of Alto Vista. Built in 1750 and currently holds masses every Tuesday, the chapel is again another stop with a breathtaking view of Aruba. Although I do have to confess, I didn't quite like the terrain of Aruba. When I think of Aruba, I think of someplace exotic with palm trees and beautiful beaches - apparently this is only on the south side of the island. Every where else is desert like vegetation again (similar to Bonaire). But Aruba - didn't remind me of Texas. Hubby said this is where he wanted to retire previous to visiting the island. I? Don't think so.


Aruba is an island created by coral, as are most islands in the Caribbean. The ocean current on the northern side of the island can be so ferocious that it has created "Natural bridges". The largest of several bridges collapsed in the middle of the night on September 2, 2005. However, another one has already started to form. On the day that we visited Aruba, the currents were so strong on the northern coast (although the tides were pretty choppy on the southern side as well) that we were unable to go snorkel in either of the two locations we were originally scheduled.


Our last stop before lunch was an Ostrich farm. Seriously?? I had worked with these beasts while at San Antonio Zoo, so I really had no interest in them, along with their Emus and Cassawaries. Obviously, they were more of a food staple than an attraction on the island. We did have a nice lunch at their restaurant (yes, it looked to be fully cooked chicken and ribs, not ostrich) before heading back out. Oh, and by the way. Something I've forgotten to mention. A majority of the islands we visited, you can't flush the toilet paper.... and sometimes you have to pay to use them! Something again hubby was used to from Iraq where I had never experienced.


The last leg of our journey for the day included two stops at natural caves. Unfortunately, the first one happened to be closed already (Hello? If our tour guide lives on the island, you would think that he knew what time attractions and sites closed!) and the second one was not a site to be hold, especially compared to some other caves, like the Natural Bridge Caverns in Texas. We were able to see some of the native bats in the cave which of course scared the daylight out of some people (hehe... get it? daylight??).


Before heading back to the company's headquarters where they shuttled us back to the pier, we stopped at the infamous "Baby beach" on the south eastern tip of the island) Yeah, I wasn't too impressed. It was so overcrowded, the sand really wasn't that "white", and the waves were choppy, we decided to find a calm shallow area to just soak our feet... and find some local crabs to watch... and contemplate on where we would live when we retire (I'm going for Barbados!)

A very long day in Aruba and we were dirty from the dust kicked up by the vehicle, my hair was in knots from being blown around all day, tired because we were bounced around so much, and thirsty (thank goodness Celebrity had that taken care of prior to us reboarding the ship!). Although I really shouldn't complain, I honestly did get to see the .... entire .... island .... of ....Aruba. Which is what we ultimately seek out to do when we go cruising (unlike some people who just visit the beaches or actually stay on board the ship while we are docked!) Or it could have been worse: I could have been quarantined! My friend's hubby was thankfully dismissed from quarantine during the day, but she? was feeling better but was depressed because she was stuck inside her room all day! Thankfully, they had purchased a balcony room.

Tomorrow, a day at sea making our way back to Puerto Rico.

Day 5: Kralendijk, Bonaire

Located 86 miles east of Aruba and 30 miles from Curacao is Bonaire, the second largest of the five Dutch Antillean islands. Although not as famous as the other two islands in the "ABC trio", Bonaire is a water sport paradise featuring diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, and water-skiing. We decided to try our luck at kayaking in the Mangroves. And boy was it fascinating!


We didn't arrive into Bonaire until 1pm. Prior to that time, I decided to go down to Customer Relations desk to ask about some of the other sites and tourist activities on the island. I was particularly interested in the wildlife. I found out that Bonaire has a Flamingo Sanctuary (Pekelmeer Sanctuary) where the pinkest of pink flamingos can be found. It's mainly because of the brine shrimp in this region, a species that thrives on salt-mined areas, that gives the flamingos their brilliant shade of pink. The brine shrimp even helped to create coral species that after it dies and is ground up by the ocean's current and created a "Pink Beach". We could actually see these salt piers and pink beaches as we were coming along side of the the island on the south side. There are only four places in the world where flamingos breed and Bonaire is one of them. At last count, it was discovered that there are more flamingos living on the island that humans.

Of course, my mission was to see some flamingos, even though I had seen tons in my lifetime working in the zoo field. They almost become a basic staple in the zoo inventory. And guess what, I saw some! Although I was only able to capture one on camera with my 35mm camera, it was nice to view the animals in their natural habitat.

Can you see him??
Oh, I almost forgot. You know how you hear those stories about people who become ill onboard a cruise ship and end up infecting everyone else on the ship?? You never thought you would be on that ship?? Yeah, well we were. And we knew the people! My friend's hubby called us in our room just before lunchtime. She had gotten deathly sick in the middle of the night and he took her to the medical clinic. She was so dehydrated from losing so much liquid that they had to administer an IV! Because she was running a fever, they claimed that it was the NOR(?) virus and that she would be QUARANTINED in her room for the next 48 hours!! He was to be quarantined for the next 24 hours to make sure he didn't developed any symptoms. And we left them at 2am and they were both fine!! Weird. For the remainder of the cruise, employees were handing out sanitizing wipes to everyone prior to entering the dining halls (where once they were just there if someone wanted to grab one).

So, we arrived at our destination to check in for our excursion. Hans, our tour guide, asked us a bunch of questions, made sure we had brought water, and let us know that his usual mode of transportation, something more lush than a normal vehicle I guess, was in the shop. So we would be taking his girlfriend's Jeep. No big deal. Turns out... we were the only ones on the tour!! Kick ass!

We drove for 20 minutes or so until we arrived at a small docking station. He pulled out 2 kayaks, one for him and a double for us, and we were on our merry way. How cool is this?!?


Looking back, I wish that this was our last excursion/island that we had visited. This was by far my favorite. And even though we didn't get to see much of the island itself, I would so come back to Bonaire. Turns out, because of it's location in the Caribbean, they are very rarely hit by hurricanes or other tropical storms. Although they do have desert like vegetation in the southern region, I've been told that it becomes a little more lush in the Washington Slagbaai National Park region in the north. It reminded me of Texas.

Along our journey, we spotted several other groups boating and kayaking through the region, but none were as small as our group. I give credit to Shore Trips, an online excursion company I was introduced to for our first cruise in 2005. Unlike the cruise ship excursions, tour groups can be as small as 2 people or as large as maybe 30 (which obviously can be very crowded), but we have been very pleased with our service from this company over our past three cruises.

During the tour, after crossing the opening of the estuary where it led to the rough waters of the ocean, I noticed two white mounds off in the distance. After seeing smaller versions at the beginning of our tour, I knew they were conch shells, harvested and then thrown out to "the curb". These two mounds were as tall as us!


Some of the other wildlife that we were able to observe, sometimes not on film, were jelly fish in the shallow waters (they have a particular species that hangs out at the bottom of the estuary upside down which has a symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae helps to attract prey for the jellyfish, kind of like an anemone, and the algae gets the best seat in the house for sun), brown pelicans, mussels living at the base of the mangroves, and this little guy (just above the leaf).


This excursion only lasted us 3 hours, but with the sun beating down on us at 1-4 in the afternoon, we were ready to call it quits when we finished. The only bad thing that happened was that I didn't apply sunscreen to the tops of my feet and then I removed my sandals after I got in our kayak. Needless to say, the tops and only the tops of my feet were burned... and they hurt! I made sure to apply copious amounts of aloe when we arrived back onboard.

It was lonely at dinner that evening. Our friends were quarantined and even our other table mates didn't attend dinner that evening. Turns out they got some sun in the afternoon, laid down to take a nap and awoke 15 minutes after our seated dinner has started (they close the doors 10 or 15 minutes after it opens at 8:30pm). It was actually nice to have just hubby to sit and talk to. That evening, we made sure to make it an early evening. Tomorrow, All Day Off Road Jeep Adventure in Aruba.

Day 4: Seven Sisters Waterfall Hike

We had previously visited Grenada in February 2005 shortly after Ivan, a category 4 hurricane devastated the island. When you looked out at the pier at St. George's area, blue tarps covered a majority of the buildings. Grenada (pronounced Gre-nay-da; Gre-nah-da is in Spain) is widely known as the spice island. It produces vast quantities of cloves, cinnamon, and mace, and about one third of the world's nutmeg. Last time we visited, we walked around the Carenage Harbour, purchased a stunning sample of a star fish and conch shell for just $10 total!, and purchased some spices for my father.

This time, I wanted to see the inside of the island. So we ventured up to Seven Sisters Waterfall, about a 30 minute drive from the pier. Actually, it was more like an hour because of all the stops our tour guide made along the way (which I didn't think were suppose to be included in the tour).

By the time we get to our destination, it's in the middle of the afternoon and the sun is really starting to beat down. We check in at this little shack on top of a hill, pick out a walking stick, and head out to make a 45 minute hike to the waterfall. Now mind you, when I made this tour I knew it was another physical excursion. There were families there with their 8 year old child and an extremely overweight woman who I was thinking had no right even attempting to climb a ladder more or less a hill to get to a waterfall. Sorry if that sounded overly rude, but we soon found out that it was very true.

To get to the waterfall, you needed to be able to climb this...


and this...



And although it wasn't too strenuous for either of us on the way to the waterfall, I kept reminding myself that I have to do it again on the way back. And most of it will be uphill. But on the way to the waterfall, the overweight woman fell down part of the steep terrain. She was in good spirits when it happened and of course they made us sign a waiver, so there was really nothing she could do except laugh at herself.

When we finally arrived to the waterfall, the area was swamped with people. It was a maze just to be able to cross a little section of a stream prior to taking in the breathtaking awe of the waterfall itself. The waterfall??



Was not the Niagara Falls, but it was a very tranquil place to relax (without all the people of course). This short fall in front was about 10 feet above the water, and people were jumping into the water below (nope, not for me.) And there were the select few dumb people who climbed the second one, soaring 30 feet into the air (that's 3 stories people!).

It was a good thing that I had packed a few cheese and cracker snacks because we were starving yet again once we got back to the ship. We made sure to visit a few shops in the newly built Esplanade Mall, this time we grabbed nutmeg syrup, and nutmeg jam and jelly.

That evening we tried our luck at Blackjack, but I guess the dealer wasn't in our favor (are they ever?). We had some more laughs with our friends, had a wine sampling with cheese and fruit, tasted the ore d'oeuvres at midnight, and headed to bed around 2am. Tomorrow- kayaking in the mangroves at Bonaire!

Day 3: Roseau, Dominica

We docked at the pier of Roseau, Dominica at 7am, but our excursion didn't start until 10:45am. So once again we headed up to the buffet for some breakfast - oatmeal with raisins, two hard boiled eggs, and a bowl of fresh fruit. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of energy for our zip line and river tubing adventure.

Before signing up for this excursion, our friends were a little nervous but were excited about trying something new. We slapped on our gear, watched the demonstration about safety first, learned what we had to say when the guides shouted rum - "Punch!", and we were on our way.... or atleast we thought we were.


We waited at the rear of the group since there was a semi-obnoxious wedding party in our group. As we approached the ladder to start our climb up, my friend started to get really nervous. She forgot to include that she was afraid of heights!! Now was not the time to divulge this information! So her hubby and I climbed the ladder to see if that would make her more comfortable, but it was a no go. She decided to stay behind and just take pics of us along the way.


They said online that this excursion was not for the faint at heart or the weak... and they were right. This adventure was not just about just zip lines... it was about crossing 4x4 posts dangling in the air,

bridges with beams 2 feet apart that are free floating,


a tarzan swing (which was optional thank god!) and obstacle courses that I couldn't even imagine.


Although hubby friend didn't want to finish the course, atleast he was smiling half way through (shoot - he was the one who was really nervous about it from the beginning!)

Once I got started, although it really was very physically strenuous, I was having fun. Going through the obstacles and hanging on for dear life really built up a sweat. So when we finished with a long zip line over the river... it was a nice ending.

Next was river tubing! This was their dry month, so needless to say there wasn't much water in the river, just enough to get us going. However, every once in awhile you would get stuck off to the side in the rocks. Our tour guides said during the rainy season when the water level is another 2 feet higher, the rapids are really ferocious. There were times when we were just floating along in the river, with the calm breeze and the birds chirping in the trees, that it was extremely peaceful.

Even though they supplied drinks (yes, more rum punch, but this wasn't as good as St. Martin's) and fruit to eat after each excursion, we were starving by the time we got back to the ship. We were able to grab a quick bite to eat, especially since our second seating dinner didn't start until 8:30pm, and then proceed to take another nap (yes, we did these quite frequently mainly because we could).

The rest of the evening was uneventful, or rather unwinding is a better word. Next day, Grenada and a hike to see the Seven Sisters Waterfall.

Day 2 of our getaway

Our first stop, we arrived in to Philipsburg, St. Maarten and St. Martin. Only 37 square miles, or about half the size of Washington, D.C., the island is divided between the southern half (Sint Maarten) ruled by the Dutch and the northern half (Saint Martin) ruled by the French. It is the world's smallest territory shared by two sovereign states.


The first full day of our cruise really didn't start until 1pm because that's when our excursion started. So, we got to sleep in. And boy, was it nice. Although, I think I woke up a few times to find a clock, but apparently those aren't needed on a ship - so I had to use my cell phone. And damn if I wasn't blinded every time I opened my cell to see what time it was then.

We ordered room service the night before to be delivered to our room. We thought it would be nice to start our vacation with breakfast in bed. Why we had it delivered at 8:00am?? I'm not sure now that I think about it (oh yeah, we were convinced to go to a 9am soiree that our friends didn't even go to!). It was a good thing that we did though because the eggs sucked... if you want to call them that. So we got dressed and headed up to the buffet deck. I had heard a lot about the waffles and pancakes and made to order omelets.

After breakfast, we made our way on shore to see the local shops and find some of the infamous guavaberry jam. This local berry is a staple on the island to make liquors, jams, and sauces. Usually at each pier there are tons of shops with local flavors and always a duty free shop. Sometimes these shops are more expensive than if you decide to walk 100 yards away. So we decided to head for the "road less traveled" before lunch.



I always try to find local works of art or like I mentioned before, local flavors such as the guavaberry jam. Along the way, of course there are tons of duty free diamond and fine jewelry shops. Although these prices are remarkably better than in the states, if you actually go on a cruise just to shop for jewelry you have way too much money (unless of course you're searching for that stunning anniversary band to match your engagement ring). I? purchased a sea turtle bobble head and a larger one made of quartz and local woods. Although I think I got conned into buying it because I was his "first customer of the day", I'm still happy with my purchase.

We headed back to the ship for lunch and grabbed our gear to head out for our Shipwreck Snorkel Adventure. Even though the water was a little colder than normal this time of year and the waves were a little choppy, we had a good time. We saw 8 shipwrecks off the coast, got to feed the fish, and not to mention all the rum punch you can drink afterwards.


Although we didn't see much of the island (most of the shops are closed on Sundays and I had read that it was pointless to go to the French town of Marigot. Plus it would have cost us another $40 just to get there and back), I think this is an island that we would visit again in the future. Before we headed back onboard, we made sure to purchase some locally made passion fruit rum (with pieces of the fruit actually in the bottle) and coconut rum. I even got to try my french (or atleast what I could remember - for some reason spanish was in the forefront of my head at the time) and the best homemade crepes with caramel sauce I have ever had in my entire life!! Yes, they were that good!

That evening was formal attire for dinner and we met our table mates for the first time. Although we had originally asked to be seated with just the four of us, we were pleasantly surprised about our company. Scottie, a 6 month pregnant woman, and Sally, her mother were traveling from Arizona and had some wonderful stories to tell during dinner.

After dinner, we watched some horrible acts of karaoke, drank some more at the bar, and had a great time laughing at each other. The next day, Dominica and the zip line!

Day 1 of our getaway

Our day started at the butt-crack of dawn at 4:30am. We needed to be at the airport at 5:30am at the latest to catch our 6:30 flight. I had checked in online the day previous so everything went really smoothly at the airport.

Unfortunately, we were going around the world to get to our final destination. Our layovers were in Detroit, then to St. Thomas, and finally to San Juan. The last flight was a total waste considering it was only a 20 minute flight! But, it didn't matter because when we arrived in San Juan, everything was all right!


We made it to the ship in time for us to take a nap... and a lovely little nap it was! But, I don't think mine lasted very long because I was too excited to be back on a cruise ship that I had to get out of our cave-of-a-room (an inside room to help prevent sea sickness) to explore my many entertainment options.... especially, the food!

I actually investigated the children's activities and entertainment onboard the ship. Apparently, I was missing Little Man A a little more than I thought. To be honest, I wasn't worried about Little Man A... I was more worried about my parents keeping up with him and knowing how to pick their battles with him. But, deep down, I knew they would figure it out. Especially after I put together a "Little Instruction Book". See, they do come with manuals.... even if it did change after I got home (not because of anything my parents did though).

We finally caught up with our friends that we met 2 years ago on our 2nd cruise to the Caribbean. They were a blast to hang out with then and we've kept in touch enough to know they would be a blast again!

After a lovely dinner (where I didn't have to help clean up), we made our way out of San Juan sipping a nice Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley while watching the island of Puerto Rico slowly disappear from the balcony of our friend's room. The next day, we were heading to St. Martin/St. Marteen.


Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow!

You're jealous, I know.

Last week, I talked about how I was dreaming of sand... as was Little Man A. Well, the countdown has continued and we only have 3 more days and a wake up until hubby and I are in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Then we'll be sailing to the southernmost part of the Caribbean with Celebrity cruises for 7 whole days!

Yes, I know. You're jealous. I can tell because NO ONE made a single comment from the post.

Just to clarify some things:

1. It is only going to be hubby and I.
2. My mom and dad are staying here with Little Man A.
3. He is going to have a ton of fun with them.
4. Hubby and I are going to rekindle our marriage.
5. And we will NOT be bringing back another "little souvenir" (last time we went on a cruise in March, Little Man was conceived).


So, "bask in the glow that is my glory" and be jealous. It's okay, really. I know you are. I totally would be.