Here are more pics of our last three days on the cruise.
More on those places later.
http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/anglican-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine.php
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Antigua, St. Kitts and Old San Juan
More on those places later.
http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/anglican-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine.php
Our Cruise and Christmas
Well we're finally back from our cruise. We sailed on the Victory this time. It was a ship full of excitement,fun,and my favorite color, green! We went swam with turtles in Barbados. We walked through a rainforest and saw the emerald pool in Dominica. Our ship also went to St.Kitts,St. Lucia, and St. Thomas. If there were any places that I forgot than my dad should cover them for me. We did many other things too and we bought a lot of you christmas presents. On christmas day Santa somehow got onto the boat and gave me a ds game called Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force. I love that game! I loved the cruise and I wish I was still on it. But I would also miss my family and my puppies if I had stayed on the ship. On the 2nd to last day of our cruise (we were in St.Kitts on that day) I took a video of our suite and of our boat leaving St. Kitts. After I find out how to post the video then I'll make another post so you guys can watch both posts.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Observations from the cruise so far - Dec. 25
Merry Xmas, everybody. We miss you, and hope Santa was good to all of you. Here are some observations I've collected over the past few days:
Fun and interesting anecdotes/observations from our trip so far:
- This trip is an amazing pallet of languages, from French to Spanish to Russian and German spoken by people of every hue and color. And these are just the passengers, not the crew.
- Our ship, Carnival Victory, has a mermaid/merman theme throughout the boat. The Greek god, Triton, guards the entrance to the foyer (though I’d figure he’d guard the entrance to the casino instead). The art in between rooms and on the carpet is very subdued on the Victory compared to other ships we’ve been on; for instance, one ship, the Glory, I believe, had scenes from classic art paintings and sculptures. Each floor had its own color – green, red, pink, yellow, blue, etc. and the silhouette of those classic art scenes were in those colors. So, you might have a red Venus de Milo on the Upper Deck and a purple Venus on the Empress deck. On the Victory, the only art on the walls are drawings of older Carnival ships, including a couple we’ve been on like the Fascination and Ecstasy. However, in the Victory’s dining rooms, it is a little odd to dine next to a bronze, full-sized mermaid in all her naked glory.
- There were parts of San Juan, PR like Miramar and Condado that looked a lot like South Beach in Miami with the bright pastel art deco buildings. The only thing that was missing was the huge beach with tons of people on it. There were at least two huge concerts being set up on the Dec. 20 while we walked through the Condado part of San Juan. One was at the Plaza, the other in front of a restaurant that was sponsored by a chocolate company (Ferraro?) that wrap their chocolate truffles up in these gold wrappers. They end up about the size of a golf ball. Well, at the preparation for this concert, there were big gold round wrappers (about the size of an exercise ball) decorating the concert stage. These gold globes were also scattered around the dance and dining area in a variety of shapes (pyramids and totems). Even the waitresses looked like wrapped up chocolates with brown tops and gold skirts. The other concert at the Plaza was just setting up so we didn’t get as good a look at that one.
- IN every island (except Puerto Rico) that we’ve visited so far, they’ve driven on the “wrong side of the road” as Addy had said. I’m not sure about St. Thomas, though. And with that, the driver’s side is on the right hand of the car, not the left. So, in Dominica, when we were driving from Trafalgar Falls to the Emerald Pools, I was sitting up front next to the driver (but in the usual driver’s spot for U.S. cars), and I nodded off. Maybe after an hour of nodding off, a couple of Americans in the back finally noticed me and thought the driver was falling asleep so they panicked (slightly), especially since we were coming down some very hilly roads. Our great tour guide, Rosalind, quickly reminded them, that Martin, our driver, was doing just fine and it was just me who was falling asleep. We all had a good, nervous laugh afterwards, though Karen and Addy know that I can fall asleep just about anywhere.
- Dominica was formerly a British colony, formerly controlled by the French for a while, and “discovered” by the Spanish on Columbus’s 3rd voyage. The Carib Indians were there when he landed in 1503? Rosalind said that the British took control of the island from the French in 1805 after the Battle of Trafalgar – which I’m going to assume was one of the battles in the Napoleonic Wars judging by the time period and the combatants. It finally got its independence from Britain in 1978 and just celebrated its 30th anniversary of freedom earlier this year.
- Dominica is a very small island and it has about 70,000 people on it. Since we were there about 7 years ago, they’ve built a brand new cricket stadium that can hold 12,000 (10K seated and 2K standing), and that colorful stadium was built by the People’s Republic of China. Even its color scheme looked like something right out of the 2008 Olympics. The island claims to be self-sufficient, saying that the only thing they need to import are fruits that they don’t have like apples and other food. They did have lots of bananas and plantains growing along the roads where we travelled – they were encased in blue bags and tied off or marked with different colors to indicate their harvest time. We also saw avocadoes and grapefruit growing off of trees, and Rosalind pulled some lemongrass for us to smell – it cleared up the funky smell of the van with its lemony fresh scent. She said you could also use lemongrass as an insect repellent – just rub the scent on your skin.
- Housing in Dominica is extremely expensive b/c almost everything has to be imported. The average house costs anywhere from $85,000 to $120,000 USD, and it only has a couple of bedrooms, toilet, living room and kitchen. Sounds like those cookie cutter houses from the 1950s made by William Levitt except they weren’t that expensive. All of the new houses need to be built of concrete to withstand hurricane-force winds, and so chopping down some of their beautiful rainforests isn’t really an option.
- As we’re leaving Roseau, Dominica’s main port, and driving up the hilly roads to Trafalgar Falls, what do we see on the side of the road but a decent-sized billboard of Barack Obama’s smiling face. The message is “Change is Coming” and “Vote Barack Obama for President in ‘08”. Rosalind said that “here is your president; he’s never too far away.” I don’t know how I feel about that – creeped out in a Big Brother/1984 way or comforted like I have been so much lately that other nations have embraced him so much as compared to President Bush as seen by the recent shoe throwing incident in Bush’s unannounced trip to Baghdad last week. Karen wondered why the billboard was there in the first place – could it have something to do with a feeling of unity among many people of African descent? Very possible.
- When we stopped at the Dominica National Parks, we had to pay $1 to help with maintenance of the bathrooms. What happened if you were broke and you REALLY had to go?
- In Barbados, we went snorkeling with green hawk bill turtles. Addy’s previous two attempts at snorkeling weren’t so great. Both attempts were in the Pacific and the water was colder and murkier there than it was here. The second time she scraped her knee on some very shallow coral, so I didn’t have very high hopes for this 3rd attempt, but she came through with flying colors. We swam and snorkeled for at least 15-20 minutes and saw at least one turtle. I saw another turtle come to the surface before we jumped in but was too slow on the camera. She didn’t complain about the cold once she got in the water or her mask. We got some pictures of fish and hope to publish them as soon as we get them processed. Also, man-o-man, did we all get a sunburn. I think the day in Barbados was the best weather so far, but that’s purely a relative term. It rained in St. Lucia today on Xmas day; go North 30 degrees latitude, and you’ve got yourself a white Christmas.
- My attempt at buying some premium tequila for Jim Snider came up $8 short in Barbados. I thought I had enough time to get back on the ship, change, get the money and go back, but we ran out of time. So, I secured a similar bottle on the ship.
- In St. Lucia, all the downtown shops were closed for Xmas so we stayed close to the duty free shops on the pier. We almost took a taxi ride around the island instead at the cost of $35 USD (down from $60) put the guy we negotiated with seemed kind of slimy and I didn’t get a good vibe from him (especially since there was a sign that said –“Use only licensed taxis” – right outside the exit of the duty free shops). He also wanted us to meet him about 50 yards beyond the shops, and that set alarm bells off in my head. So, when Karen said she didn’t want to take that long of a ride, I didn’t protest. Spidey-sense saves the day.
Fun and interesting anecdotes/observations from our trip so far:
- This trip is an amazing pallet of languages, from French to Spanish to Russian and German spoken by people of every hue and color. And these are just the passengers, not the crew.
- Our ship, Carnival Victory, has a mermaid/merman theme throughout the boat. The Greek god, Triton, guards the entrance to the foyer (though I’d figure he’d guard the entrance to the casino instead). The art in between rooms and on the carpet is very subdued on the Victory compared to other ships we’ve been on; for instance, one ship, the Glory, I believe, had scenes from classic art paintings and sculptures. Each floor had its own color – green, red, pink, yellow, blue, etc. and the silhouette of those classic art scenes were in those colors. So, you might have a red Venus de Milo on the Upper Deck and a purple Venus on the Empress deck. On the Victory, the only art on the walls are drawings of older Carnival ships, including a couple we’ve been on like the Fascination and Ecstasy. However, in the Victory’s dining rooms, it is a little odd to dine next to a bronze, full-sized mermaid in all her naked glory.
- There were parts of San Juan, PR like Miramar and Condado that looked a lot like South Beach in Miami with the bright pastel art deco buildings. The only thing that was missing was the huge beach with tons of people on it. There were at least two huge concerts being set up on the Dec. 20 while we walked through the Condado part of San Juan. One was at the Plaza, the other in front of a restaurant that was sponsored by a chocolate company (Ferraro?) that wrap their chocolate truffles up in these gold wrappers. They end up about the size of a golf ball. Well, at the preparation for this concert, there were big gold round wrappers (about the size of an exercise ball) decorating the concert stage. These gold globes were also scattered around the dance and dining area in a variety of shapes (pyramids and totems). Even the waitresses looked like wrapped up chocolates with brown tops and gold skirts. The other concert at the Plaza was just setting up so we didn’t get as good a look at that one.
- IN every island (except Puerto Rico) that we’ve visited so far, they’ve driven on the “wrong side of the road” as Addy had said. I’m not sure about St. Thomas, though. And with that, the driver’s side is on the right hand of the car, not the left. So, in Dominica, when we were driving from Trafalgar Falls to the Emerald Pools, I was sitting up front next to the driver (but in the usual driver’s spot for U.S. cars), and I nodded off. Maybe after an hour of nodding off, a couple of Americans in the back finally noticed me and thought the driver was falling asleep so they panicked (slightly), especially since we were coming down some very hilly roads. Our great tour guide, Rosalind, quickly reminded them, that Martin, our driver, was doing just fine and it was just me who was falling asleep. We all had a good, nervous laugh afterwards, though Karen and Addy know that I can fall asleep just about anywhere.
- Dominica was formerly a British colony, formerly controlled by the French for a while, and “discovered” by the Spanish on Columbus’s 3rd voyage. The Carib Indians were there when he landed in 1503? Rosalind said that the British took control of the island from the French in 1805 after the Battle of Trafalgar – which I’m going to assume was one of the battles in the Napoleonic Wars judging by the time period and the combatants. It finally got its independence from Britain in 1978 and just celebrated its 30th anniversary of freedom earlier this year.
- Dominica is a very small island and it has about 70,000 people on it. Since we were there about 7 years ago, they’ve built a brand new cricket stadium that can hold 12,000 (10K seated and 2K standing), and that colorful stadium was built by the People’s Republic of China. Even its color scheme looked like something right out of the 2008 Olympics. The island claims to be self-sufficient, saying that the only thing they need to import are fruits that they don’t have like apples and other food. They did have lots of bananas and plantains growing along the roads where we travelled – they were encased in blue bags and tied off or marked with different colors to indicate their harvest time. We also saw avocadoes and grapefruit growing off of trees, and Rosalind pulled some lemongrass for us to smell – it cleared up the funky smell of the van with its lemony fresh scent. She said you could also use lemongrass as an insect repellent – just rub the scent on your skin.
- Housing in Dominica is extremely expensive b/c almost everything has to be imported. The average house costs anywhere from $85,000 to $120,000 USD, and it only has a couple of bedrooms, toilet, living room and kitchen. Sounds like those cookie cutter houses from the 1950s made by William Levitt except they weren’t that expensive. All of the new houses need to be built of concrete to withstand hurricane-force winds, and so chopping down some of their beautiful rainforests isn’t really an option.
- As we’re leaving Roseau, Dominica’s main port, and driving up the hilly roads to Trafalgar Falls, what do we see on the side of the road but a decent-sized billboard of Barack Obama’s smiling face. The message is “Change is Coming” and “Vote Barack Obama for President in ‘08”. Rosalind said that “here is your president; he’s never too far away.” I don’t know how I feel about that – creeped out in a Big Brother/1984 way or comforted like I have been so much lately that other nations have embraced him so much as compared to President Bush as seen by the recent shoe throwing incident in Bush’s unannounced trip to Baghdad last week. Karen wondered why the billboard was there in the first place – could it have something to do with a feeling of unity among many people of African descent? Very possible.
- When we stopped at the Dominica National Parks, we had to pay $1 to help with maintenance of the bathrooms. What happened if you were broke and you REALLY had to go?
- In Barbados, we went snorkeling with green hawk bill turtles. Addy’s previous two attempts at snorkeling weren’t so great. Both attempts were in the Pacific and the water was colder and murkier there than it was here. The second time she scraped her knee on some very shallow coral, so I didn’t have very high hopes for this 3rd attempt, but she came through with flying colors. We swam and snorkeled for at least 15-20 minutes and saw at least one turtle. I saw another turtle come to the surface before we jumped in but was too slow on the camera. She didn’t complain about the cold once she got in the water or her mask. We got some pictures of fish and hope to publish them as soon as we get them processed. Also, man-o-man, did we all get a sunburn. I think the day in Barbados was the best weather so far, but that’s purely a relative term. It rained in St. Lucia today on Xmas day; go North 30 degrees latitude, and you’ve got yourself a white Christmas.
- My attempt at buying some premium tequila for Jim Snider came up $8 short in Barbados. I thought I had enough time to get back on the ship, change, get the money and go back, but we ran out of time. So, I secured a similar bottle on the ship.
- In St. Lucia, all the downtown shops were closed for Xmas so we stayed close to the duty free shops on the pier. We almost took a taxi ride around the island instead at the cost of $35 USD (down from $60) put the guy we negotiated with seemed kind of slimy and I didn’t get a good vibe from him (especially since there was a sign that said –“Use only licensed taxis” – right outside the exit of the duty free shops). He also wanted us to meet him about 50 yards beyond the shops, and that set alarm bells off in my head. So, when Karen said she didn’t want to take that long of a ride, I didn’t protest. Spidey-sense saves the day.
Towel Animals
Addy took pictures of our newest animal friends in our stateroom: a monkey, a dog/pig (we can’t agree on what it is), and our newest addition, an elephant. Personally, I’d like to see a little bi-partisanship and have a towel donkey in my room tomorrow, but if they can’t make one, I don’t need the real thing.
See pictures in photo album above.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Days 2 and 3 - St. Thomas and Dominica
Enjoy the pictures from our cruise so far. Day 2, at St. Thomas, we went to Magen's Bay, a beautiful beach on the other side of the island. Day 3, at Dominica, we took Addy on the same rainforest tour Karen and I went on the first time we came here. Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pools.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!!! We love you.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!!! We love you.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Day 1 Puerto Rico
After 18 hours in various airports and in the air, we arrived in San Juan Puerto Rico around 8 am EST, 9 am local time. We took off from Metro around 9:30, 2 hours later than expected. That made us late for our connecting flight in Houston that was supposed to around midnight. There were 20 of us who had to make the flight so they held it and that flight didn't leave until 2 a.m. (I think). By then, it was hard to keep track of time, I wasn't wearing a watch, and it was late.
So, we got here, and the Courtyard Mariott in Miramar let us into our room early,and we crashed for a few hours. Then around 3-4 p.m. we got up and wandered around to Playa del Condado and had dinner at a restaurant with a nice ocean view (as you can see from the pictures). Bring a jacket b/c it can get windy - Addy was a little chilly by the end of dinner. We went Geo-hunting but didn't find it and then walked along the beach and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Thanks again for everyone who has helped us out with Riley and Izzy and getting us to the airport. Merry Xmas. We'll miss you.
So, we got here, and the Courtyard Mariott in Miramar let us into our room early,and we crashed for a few hours. Then around 3-4 p.m. we got up and wandered around to Playa del Condado and had dinner at a restaurant with a nice ocean view (as you can see from the pictures). Bring a jacket b/c it can get windy - Addy was a little chilly by the end of dinner. We went Geo-hunting but didn't find it and then walked along the beach and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Thanks again for everyone who has helped us out with Riley and Izzy and getting us to the airport. Merry Xmas. We'll miss you.
Izzy's 1st Snow Day
Izzy had her first real snow day on Friday, December 19th when the first big snowstorm of the season hit Michigan. She had seen and experienced snow earlier in the year, but nothing like this.
Enjoy the pics. She had a blast.
Enjoy the pics. She had a blast.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Club Penguin and Christmas
During christmas break my family will be on a cruise. I mailed my letter to Santa yesterday but he'll get it on Wesenday. I told him that he might have to drop my christmas present off early because I leave on the 19th and when he gets my letter he won't have a lot of time to drop it off but I don't want to sound to greedy. I wanted a Ds game for christmas called Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force. I'm dying to get it!! Anyways check out Club Penguin. Merry Christmas!
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