We have been changing to an RV full time lifestyle for some time, while raising our grandson. Our journeys have taken us to quite a few places, with a few unique experiences along the way. This blog will hopefully prove entertaining as well as informational... Welcome!
Taking Carrie to see it before she goes to Alberta
Monday - January 19, 2016
Layers of stone are awesome to behold!
It was a decision reached over morning coffee and by 0930 we were on the road. We filled up the car as we hit Hwy 40 and made it to the Grand Canyon just before noon.
As always, this place is impressive. There was some snow alongside the road on our way there and the temperature was around 11 or 12 Celsius with a slight breeze while we were there.
It costs about 40 bucks each just to go on the tour bus and another 20 to walk on the skywalk where they will not allow any photos to be taken as they have a thriving business selling pics that they take!
Guano Point is pretty impressive!
Darlene and Carrie went on the skywalk, TJ waited at entrance with a security lady and I got into taking photos.
It was a great trip and we took a different route back to Kingman where we made a stop at DQ for ice cream, milkshake(TJ) and a salad (Carrie).
Old, twisted trees provide excellent props for photos.
Getting rid of Grampa!
It is about 1 mile straight down here!
Plastered against a wall
Skywalk.... scary..... expensive, but worth it...
TJ waited here while the girls went on skywalk and Granpa took pics
Hanging on for dear life!
"This is as close as I go"
A spot of sunshine lights up the bottom
Took a different way home to find flat desert with a lone Joshua Tree
Beautiful sunset and daughter in law
On our return 4:45 PM, Darlene and Carrie went to Walmart for groceries while I took dogs for a walk. Later that evening we had a fire while downing coolers and beers until it got too cool outside.
Beautiful Mom and Daughter having coolers by the fire
Ship's Compass which detailed everything going on every day was delivered daily!
I was up a bit early and managed to see this beautiful little island as we passed by en route to see St. Kitts.
Small Island north of St. Kitts.
Our ship docked at 10 AM which afforded us the luxury of eating while watching the docking procedure.Once on land and past the photo guys we were approached by a fellow trying to sell tickets on a tour around the island starting at 1 PM local time. It was only 20 bucks so we signed up right away while Mitchell and Melodie took awhile to decide whether it was worthwhile or not but in the end decided to come along with us.
Entrance to St. Kitts from wharf
Our tour bus
We toured the island in a small bus, making a number of photo stops.
We went up a number of side streets and quickly realized that on this island there are a lot of poor people. The roads were narrow with lots of hills and curves.
Below is a short video taken while we were driving around the island.
Romney House
This former plantation was a most interesting stop as it showcased the stages this island's economy has gone thru over the years.
Old Foundry stack for sugar
Tobacco cotton and rum were all at various times big exports, with the climate and natural sugar cane playing a large role as evidenced by the many old foundry stacks around the island.
There was also some HUGE trees with Tarzan like vines hanging from them. The vegetation here is very lush and quite overrun in many places.
Tarzan Vines
At the Romney House there was also a demonstration of Batik, which is where they paint wax on canvas in many layers to produce striking paintings. We also had some drinks and optional moonshine from the driver at this stop.
Date Palm
There was one very large tree on the property which reminded me of the Home Tree in the movie AVATAR.
Click on the video below for a video of Batik.....
When we got to the norther pat of the island we saw where the higher income families lived along with some nice condominiums that were for rent.
Our next stop was high on a hill where there was also some very cheap beer for sale as well as a beautiful view of some beaches and ocean.
3 buck beer !!
Caribbean on left, Atlantic on Right
The next stop was at a resort on the beach where Darlene and Melodie dipped their feet in the Caribbean Sea. On our way back to the ship, we asked the driver to make another pit stop at the top of the hill for more beer and some snacks for the trip back.
By the time we got back to St. Kitts, it was apparent some of our Columbian passengers were pretty well bombed from the moonshine they had consumed on the trip.
Beautiful beaches
We purchased some jewelry but declined on the booze as it was quite expensive. darlene had a really nice Pina Colada just before we boarded while some Caribbean music was being played on the dock.
Did I mention there was also another cruise ship
(Celebrity Line) docked as well. It was smaller than ours and did not leave till after we had departed.
Supper in the Saphirre Dining Room, with Bernadette from the Philippines as our waitress. She was due to get 2 months off after a 7 month tour of duty!
This was our second stop on our cruise and it turned out to be a lesson as well. We started off by stopping at a pharmacy to get Darlene some stuff for her throat and also moisturizer for myself.
Following that, we started to walk up into the city to find some free wi-fi and do some sightseeing.... While en route to the place where the wi-fi was, we stopped at a couple of stores which had been recommended on the ship that offered discounts or free stuff for stopping in. While trying to
Darlene and Don just off ship
purchase some sunglasses, Melodie discovered that her credit card had been compromised (or so the bank figured0 and was being declines. It took quite a while to get that straightened out, but something to remember every time we travel in the future, as being left in a strange island with no money or ID can a daunting task for anyone!
Mitchell and Melodie just off ship
After we got that straightened out, it was time for a drink.... Or two.... Or three....
Darlene had a margarita, Pina Colada (which she had to rush drinking before we boarded the ship) and then some wine with supper later on. Melodie , Mitchell and I had beer as it was really cheap in San Juan. ....We did not get to see much of this island, but came away with the impression of narrow, cobblestone streets, lots of shops and bars, and beautiful architecture in the buildings with gorgeous pastel colours!
Having drinks before boarding ship
We all had a really good buzz on by the time we got back on the ship, Because it was late, we had not made dinner reservations, and instead, poured ourselves some wine and headed up to the hot tub.
One of the waiters came along and exchanged our wine glasses for plastic ones and then later he took our wine glasses while we were in deep conversations with the rest of the people in the hot tub. Colombia, Tennessee, and Michigan was where they were from.
The hot tub, mixed drinks, and no supper caught up to Darlene when we got back to our room as she had a brief (but meaningful) talk with the trash can on our arrival. It was a good thing, as she felt fine the next morning with no ill effects.
Cop and cobblestone streets as sun sets in San Juan
It is very beautiful in San Juan with a lot of character and history to explore. I had fun taking pictures but it turned dark too soon for me.. This is definitely a place worth visiting again!
Colourful buildings
Narrow, crowded streets
Darlene shopping as evening approaches
Government buildings
Finishing off the last of drink before boarding
Our ship awaits us!
Sun set
Mitchel, Darlene and Melodie
Colourful buildings
This young lady posed for us on her way to a nightclub
After a day at sea, it seems everyone on board was anxious to disembark and get out for some sun, sand, and serious beach time! The ship arrived at 0700 hours and had cleared customs by. 0730. We had set our alarms for 0630 and Melody gave us a phone call at 0625 as we were all wanting to get a good spot on the beach.
Following another great breakfast we made a quick stop at our rooms before heading ashore. We picked up towels on the dock (cost 25 bucks if you don't return them) and headed ashore.
We had our own guide shortly after bypass the photo stop and headed for the beach under the zip line. Once there he set up some chairs for us and also some blue covers for privacy. Darlene and Melody went for a walkabout while Mitchell went to the can and I watched our stuff.
We relaxed for awhile and then Darlene, Melodie and I went for a walk to the other beach, where the floats were located. There had been a LOT of upgrading since our last visit here (2012) and not all were for the better in our opinion. There were cement paths leading to the beaches which was good as walking through fine, deep sand is tiring for many. There were many more places to eat, which was nice as the last time it was a bit of a gong show. On the negative side, there was now a marketplace and the merchants were beginning to look a bit like the pushy guys from Jamaica, which we did not care for.
Once on the other side, we quickly realized how much nicer the beach and water was so I went back to get Mitchell and the rest of our gear.
Melodie and Darlene had grabbed 4 lounge chairs and set them up about 50 feet from the water, where we had a little shade provide by palm trees. It did not take long for the heat to sink in, which meant some time in the warm water.
There was very little wave action on this protected beach and I spent considerable time swimming and just floating in it which is a fav thing of mine. Mitchell is not a water fan, so he spent most of the time reading a book and checking out the scenery.
Lunch was provided from 11;00 - 1;00 PM which was a BBQ of hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken with salads and fruit. There was also some desserts. This was a "fix yer own" type of BBQ, which suited us just fine
We had to be back on board by 2:30 for the ship's departure and we made it easily. This gave us time to watch as the ship left Labadee and headed for the open ocean for our journey to our next port, San Juan, Puerto Rico. .
As we journeyed out, we went to the pool area for some more relaxation and sun before our dinner reservation at 5:30 in the Saphire Dining Room. While we relaxed around the pool, the seas became progressively rougher in the large swells the ship was encountering. It was surprising to feel such a large ship sway, as the swells did not look that large, but that can be deceiving when viewed from such a high vantage point.
Map of Labadee which was in front of an abandoned frame of an old building, probably a church, from many years ago.
