Tropical Treasures 23rd-30th March

[barnowl1950]

PORTS OF CALL.

 

ST. JOHNS-ANTIGUA: TUESDAY. We went ashore at 8.45am and walked to the bus station to take the No17 bus to Nelsons Dockyard and English Harbour, we preferred to use East Caribbean Dollars here, bus fares were 3.5 EC dollars each (just under £1) for the 30min journey. Entrance at dockyard was 8 US dollars each. It was very early so no-one else was there, we had the place to ourselves for the next half hour, it was beautiful, peaceful and sunny and just perfect wandering around and as we went in the museum the tour buses began to arrive. When we were ready we returned to St Johns (again 3.5 EC dollars each, No17 bus) and spent some time at the shops then back to the ship for lunch. I'm glad we went there early and will always remember that visit.

 

After a lovely lunch on board we joined the Thomson Sun and Rum excursion to Dickenson Bay for 3 hrs on the beach with lounger and unlimited rum punch...didn't seem strong so I had 3 in one and a half hours then it hit me suddenly and I decided that was enough as I don't drink very much. Back on mini bus for a short but happy ride back to ship :D. A lovely day and no rain.

 

ROAD TOWN TORTOLA: WEDNESDAY. Enjoyed a lovely breakfast. Planned to do an island tour here so asked a driver/guide the cost of an open-sided bus tour (20 US dollars). Just 2 seats left at the back in the middle but I wasn't keen to sit there and it must have shown as the lovely driver/guide told us to sit next to him so best views all the way, brilliant!:D Hot and sunny and beautiful all the way across the island stopping for gorgeous views of other islands and beaches in the BVI. Then on to Cane Garden Bay for one hour on the beach. Watched the Pelicans diving for fishes! Then time to return to the ship, and Phil the driver decided it was time switch on the music so downhill we went to the loud sounds of BOB MARLEY and No Woman No Cry :D a favourite of mine, couldn't be better, magic and again beautiful weather and no clouds.

 

GUSTAVIA ST BARTHS: THURSDAY. Booked a tour here some months ago with Thomson for a surprise for Hubby...Yellow Submarine. Had to tell him the day before as it was early at 8 am. Tendered ashore right to the submarine, climbed down the steps and off we went on a lovely underwater trip crossing a sunken ship surrounded by thousands of beautiful fishes and sea creatures, a couple of sharks, a few turtles some starfishes etc.

After that we had a stroll around, it's looks like St Tropez in the Caribbean here, we went in a supermarket where I was surprised to find the prices cheaper than I thought and bought a litre of tropical fruit juice for 1 Euro.39 Cents. Two ice creams cost us 2 Euros.60 cents. Stopped at a small bar and sat outside with a lager and fruit juice then another stroll and found a wall where we sat to watch the yachts as it happened to be the Bucket Regatta. Waited for tender back and boarded the ship around 12pm after a little more than 4 hours ashore. Enjoyed the ships facilities for the afternoon. Another scorching hot lovely day :D

 

ROSEAU DOMINICA: FRIDAY. This is the island I've been wanting to visit the most yet turned out to be the one I will probably remember the least ....we booked a Thomson tour for here and chose the Indian River Rowboat because we were reluctant to do anything involving climbing/walking across rocks even easy walking, if hubby has a knock or cut etc it doesn't stop bleeding as he is taking blood thinning tablets since his heart attack, he cut his finger at work one day and needed hospital treatment. So we settled for the boat ride on Indian River. The journey from the ship to Portsmouth in the north of the island to the boats is approx 1 hour, the mini bus driver drove very fast, passing rainforests so quickly that I got drowsy and slept most of way so missed the views of the island....the same coming back. So not a lot to remember. The riverboat was nice but we didn't see a lot of wild-life just a few birds and fishes and 6 or 7 crabs...maybe we were just unlucky that day! But it was very, very peaceful on the river and again no rain and we did stop for half an hour at the bush bar at the turn-around point for a complimentary rum punch :D

 

KINGSTOWN ST.VINCENT: SATURDAY. Agreed a price with a taxi driver for the two of us for a stop at the Botanical gardens then around the island going through Mesopotamia Valley....very fertile, they call this area The Fruit Basket! At the gardens we hired a guide and as well as pointing out the trees and bushes etc he picked spices and herbs to crush for us...cinnamon, lemon grass, camomile and so on. Afterwards we met up with the taxi driver again for an unforgettable tour of St.Vincent. Did not give this island a great deal of thought after booking our cruise but was completely blown away by the beauty of the hills and valleys, it seemed every inch of the island was taken up by something growing to eat or exotic trees, flowering bushes, it was lovely being there. We arrived at Mesopotamia Valley though to find it shrouded in mist and we had some rain there, the only shower all week which cleared up after 5 minutes then bright and sunny again. Here the driver picked a bagful of fruit for us called Plumroses, a type of small red pear...delicious :). The views looking down as we travelled high up along the coast were amazing. I loved it here. The island is gearing up for more tourism with the building of a new runway, and a lot of businesses have moved from Kingstown to the up-market area of Arnesvale. Another lovely day.

 

BRIDGETOWN BARBADOS: SUNDAY. Decided to go on another island tour for our last day, I wanted to see as much of Barbados as possible, so we went to Destination Services to book Thomsons Coast to Coast but they said it was cancelled due to no demand.. so once off the ship after breakfast we took another mini bus....just the two of us for a little less than Thoms price and a similiar tour. So we set off first on a tour around Bridgetown (enjoyable and interesting) then through the countryside as we passed the canefields and farms..and through the parishes of St.George, St.James, St.Michael, St.John etc over to Bathsheba (wild and beautiful) on the Atlantic coast where we stopped for photos and I bought a necklace from a lady sitting making them on the beach. I looked at the palm trees swaying gently in the warm breeze and didn't want it to end. After that we headed for the centre of the island to stop for drinks. Then to finish the journey the driver took us past the Sandy Lane golf course and country club and past the homes of the rich and famous. Finally back to the ship for the last 3 hours of the cruise, passing the beaches on the Caribbean side on the way. I can't believe I was there only two days ago.

 

 

 

 

I never intended this to be so long.. I got carried away and I'm so sorry if it's boring.

Edited April 2, 2014 by barnowl1950

[kruzseeka]

Not boring at all barnowl - a very interesting and enjoyable read. You certainly convey the beauty and attraction of the Caribbean. We love it there too. Glad you had such a good time and enjoyed the places you visited. :)

[gillhalfpint]

Not boring at all barnowl - a very interesting and enjoyable read. You certainly convey the beauty and attraction of the Caribbean. We love it there too. Glad you had such a good time and enjoyed the places you visited. :)

 

Agree it is certainly not boring, and love reading others views on the islands we love. Only been twice, but love the islands. We did the yellow submarine at St Barths too. Fantastic. Thanks for the memories.

[Little Nell]

Loved reading that, Barnowl, thanks so much :) I can't wait to go.

 

It is now added to my dossier for next year :D

[joeholiday2]

Thanks Barnowl.

 

A nice read, it certainly makes me want to go back.

 

I like doing a report like this so you have a record of it to look back on yourself, I easily forget what I did from one place to the next.

Look back on it in about 18 months and you will be reliving the good experiences you had :)

[Huddersfieldtourist]

Super appraisal of your time there - very well done !! :)

[barnowl1950]

Thanks everyone, I'm happy this brings back some memories for you and would like to think anyone going to the Caribbean for the first time soon may find it nice to read too....and kruzseeka I remembered your words before I went away, about the genuine warmth and friendliness of the people here and couldn't agree more, it really was a pleasure to meet them all.

 

Posted the review just after 2 am which was like 9 pm to me... still running on Caribbean time...will be alright soon :D

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Gosh Barnowl, you certainly packed a lot into your week. I loved St Vincent too. We went to the botanical gardens on a Thoms tour which included a spice farm.

 

We were thinking of having a week in Morocco next winter, but now fancy the Caribbean again :rolleyes::D

[Jakanne1]

Thanks Barn Owl, that was very interesting to read as although we did Tropical Treasures too, we did different things so it is good to hear someone else's experience. Maybe I will be able to use them myself sometime in the future.

 

You put me to shame, Barnowl, as I haven't done a proper review yet but I do have bits of notes I intend to put together sometime. :rolleyes:

[barnowl1950]

Every time I hear Bob Marley singing that song again.. No woman no cry... I'll be travelling down the hill at Tortola at the front of a colourful open-sided vehicle (only in my mind of course) :D

Edited April 2, 2014 by barnowl1950

[happy v]

Thank you barnowl for a lovely review.

Edited April 2, 2014 by happy v

[Jakanne1]

Every time I hear Bob Marley singing that song again.. No woman no cry... I'll be travelling down the hill at Tortola at the front of a colourful open-sided vehicle (only in my mind of course) :D

 

I'll be with you. Some of those roads were very Scarey though! :eek:

[Wacktle]

Thanks for a lovely review. I was far from bored, and wished you'd had a second week!

 

It's always so interesting and helpful to hear about what others do in each port.

[barnowl1950]

Thanks for a lovely review. I was far from bored, and wished you'd had a second week!

 

It's always so interesting and helpful to hear about what others do in each port.

 

Thank you :)

[pressy]

Thanks Barnowl, Great report, not at all boring, good review of ports visited and one that brings back so many happy memories