2008 12/31 - New Year's Eve on Grand Turk Island

Happy New Year friends!

We enjoyed an absolutely stunning day on Grand Turk Island in the Caribbean. This is a shot of our ship in the background. This port offers a stunning beach just off the pier. Shopping is dead-ahead in the terminal building, no vendors peddling wares. The lounge chairs are provided free of charge, no litter, beautiful white sand, a great walking beach and crystal clear water. We love it here and we'll be back again.

2008 12 29 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

We have all heard about St. Thomas and it's beauty - and we'll state emphatically that it is true. We enjoyed a partly sunny day on the island and traveled by ferry over to St. Johns to Trunk Bay, part of the Virgin Islands National Park. Both are lovely and we really enjoyed the visit.

2008 12 28 Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, The Netherlands Antilles

We arrived St. Maarten on the Dutch side of the Island. It was an overcast, dicey day. The seas were moderate, but intermittent sunshine made the day very enjoyable. Here is a shot of the city as we approach the port. The second photo is a shot of the ocean from the beach on the windward side of the island, the French side.

2008 12 27 Roseau, Dominica

Dominica is a young, volcanic island and this time of year migrating sperm whales arrive to give birth to their calves. Here is the fluke of a female sperm whale as she takes her final plunge.

Here she is giving us a rainbow from her spout.













Our ship at port in the harbor.

2008 12 26 Port of Spain, Trindidad

Heavy rains in Trindidad caused our tour to be cancelled, so we left the pier and booked a taxi for a 2-hour tour around town. The population here is large, and quite poor. The nation, however, is wealthy as they have huge oil and natural gas reserves. Like in the States, the trickle-down hasn't trickled down. Port of Spain has a lot of crime and a big drug problem - nothing new. Infrastructure has been neglected and the people are suffering. Someone is getting rich - it's just not the people.

2008 12 25 Christmas Day - Barbados

Another lovely day in the Caribbean.

The weather in Barbados was partly cloudy and seas were moderate with 10' to 15' waves, but the island is a beauty! We enjoyed a tour of the island in a Land Rover 4 x 4 through some of the hills and forests, and through the sugar cane fields on the island.Our guide pointed out a few of the more historical buildings, old sugar cane plantations - most of which are long gone. We absorbed a bit of the history of this place and now better understand the impact it had on America.

2008 12 23 Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

The city of Mayaguez is building a new port in an attempt to lure cruise ships to Puerto Rico. Mayaguez is feeling the effects of the poor economy and our cruise ship was big news. Musicians and local artisans were brought into the town square to provide trinkets and entertainment for the insatiable shoppers from the cruise ship. The visit of the Prinsendam even prompted a live report by the local news anchor.

During our time at the square I was approached by a local woman (probably in her 60s) who wanted to interpret for me a song a perfomer was singing. She wanted me to know that song was about the struggle of the common laborer, the average man. The lyrics were asking them to hold on, that their struggle would not last forever, and that they cannot be kept down. That their hard work somehow would prevail.

The economy is tough here. Her also shared with me that her only son committed suicide recently because he could not find work, and could not support his daughter. He felt that if he was gone his baby daughter would at least get financial support from the government. A very sad situation indeed.