Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua
Bridgetown, Barbados
We made landfall early this morning in Barbados! Unfortunately, we are only here for a day and then we’re moving on. We were eager to get on land and walk around, but we weren’t prepared for the heat. Our Canadian blood is not cut out for hot and humid. Mike had wanted to do a rum tasting at the Mount Gay Rum Visitor Center, but we didn’t book in advance, and they were full up until 2:30pm. We did a walk by instead and took some photos. Mount Gay is the world’s oldest commercial rum distillery with the oldest surviving deed for the company dating back to 1703. We found a large bottle in duty free to take with us.
After wandering by Mount Gay, we went to find the Rihanna Drive Monument and then walked towards the main shopping area. We were on the hunt for snorkel gear, which you would think would have been easier, but it wasn’t. Shopping isn’t our first choice for activities, but we did need a few things. We weren’t able to find much of what we were looking for, but we did finally find snorkel gear in a fishing shop near the port.
It was smoking hot by mid afternoon, so we headed back to the ship to cool off and spent the afternoon catching up on the blog and recapping Barbados.
St George’s, Grenada
Grenada is known as the spice island and there are numerous nutmeg plantations on the main island. We were only in port for the day, and we had a late disembarkation, so it was a short day. The owners of Villa Vie boarded in Barbados and conducted a ‘Teatime’ update first thing in the morning while we were waiting to be cleared to leave the ship.
We headed out through the port into a mall full of shops and duty free. There were several taxi drivers and guides eager to help out as well. Instead of taking them up on anything we crossed over and wandered down market street. There were all kinds of stalls with goods, and they weren’t kidding about the spices.
The port was in St. George’s which is the capital city of Grenada, and it is home to three different forts. Fort George overlooks the port and looks to be in the best shape, but it is also undergoing restoration and is temporarily closed. Fort Matthew and Fort Frederick are much higher up which of course didn’t stop us from hiking up to them. Fort Matthew was in pretty rough shape, but Fort Frederick was very well preserved. The interesting thing about Fort Frederick is that its cannons face inland. Grenada was under French rule for over 100 years, but the island was handed over to the British in the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Unimpressed, French invaded via land in 1779 and took power back from the British, the French then built the fort to prevent overland invasions as that was how they conquered it.
Afterwards we hiked back down to the waterfront, and it was crazy to see how high the ocean is. The street is pretty much level with the water. Unfortunately, Grenada suffered significant flooding just a couple of days before we arrived, but they seem to have weathered it well in St. George’s. There was still some water, dirt and debris on the street, but considering how close the ocean is I expected more. We hit up a grocery store for some snacks, beer and a cold drink and then made our way back to the ship.
You have to walk back through the mall to reach the dock and we found snorkel fins on the way through, so that was good. We now have everything we need to go snorkeling; I just have to get over my aversion to fish…
On to the next island!
Soufriere, St. Lucia
We arrived in Soufriere, St. Lucia in the early morning, but we opted to have our usual slow morning. This port was our first where we had to tender to port. The Odyssey was anchored in the bay along side a fancy ass Ritz Carlton Yacht. Around 11am we were finally ready to head into town, so we hoped into one of our lifeboats and made it safely to shore. Our first order of business was to find an ATM because we are completely out of cash and a lot of places on the islands do not accept credit cards. The bank I found on Google Maps was boarded up, so we walked over to check out the beach instead. We ran into some fellow shipmates, and they said they had walked out to the botanic gardens where we had wanted to go, but they only take cash.
The beach wasn’t fantastic; although, there are supposedly some great beaches further down the coast. We decided to wander through town and looped around the outskirts to a supermarket. They advertised a cash machine, but it wouldn’t accept our card, so we bought beer and Cheetos and headed back to the ship.
Just before we reached the tender dock, we stumbled over another cash machine and lucked out finally. With cash in hand, we headed back up to the Diamond Falls Botanical Garden & Mineral Baths. The gardens were beautiful, and the waterfall was very unique. It is fed from a volcano and has left mineral deposits along the rock wall behind it. The mineral baths looked good, but it was way to hot to even consider getting into a hot bath.
After an hour or so of exploring the gardens we took our sweaty selves back to the ship, showered, and snuggled up to watch Trolls in the Neptune Lounge. We had a lovely, if hot, day in St. Lucia. If we had stayed overnight, we would have hiked the Gros Piton. St. Lucia is home to The Pitons which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pitons (Gros and Petit) are two volcanic mountains on the coast of St. Lucia, and they make for an incredible view. You must pay for a guide to hike them, and it’s recommended to leave in the very early morning. We weren’t able to make it work this time, but maybe someday.
Castries, St. Lucia
Castries is the capital city of St. Lucia, and we had big plans to wander around and check out the beach. When we first left the ship, it was sprinkling a little bit, but hey we don’t melt, so off we went. We had found a viewpoint that was only about a half hour walk from the ship, so we headed up.
It was a somewhat steep switch backed road with very deep drainage ditches. We found out why… About three quarters of the way up we went from a sprinkle to a full-on downpour. The water was rushing down the pavement and filling those ditches. We made it to the lookout and of course they are putting up a building at that point, so it was mostly blocked by fencing anyway. Instead of dawdling in hopes of the rain passing we started heading back down. The cars passing us weren’t thrilled to have us hiking down the side of the road, but what can you do. We were completely soaked through and dripping. Of course, when we reached the bottom, it cleared up almost immediately. Dripping wet, we figured it was best to head back to the ship to dry off, have some lunch, and then try again in the afternoon. As we walked back to the ship, I noticed that whatever soap they have been using to do our laundry hasn’t been rinsing out very well. My thick thighs were creating friction resulting in foaming soap…not my finest moment, but pretty funny.
After lunch we headed out with some fellow residents in search of the St. Lucia sign at the other cruise terminal. We took some pictures, stopped for a few beers at the Rum Therapy Bar & Treatment Centre and did some Duty-Free shopping. It started raining again while we shopped, so we took our time. We walked back to the ship through a light sprinkle and Mike took what photos he could along the water.
All in all, we had a great day; the rain just added to the adventure. Our next several ports are over night stops, so we are really excited for that. We are hoping to get some hiking in and give snorkeling a try. Mike has done it before, but he had some new prescription goggles to try out. The islands are incredibly beautiful and despite the heat we are really enjoying the tropical scenery.
Fort-de-France, Martinique
We finally have an overnight port! The forecast for the next week is not looking great as it’s supposed to rain quite a bit, but we are determined to get in whatever exploring we can manage. Today we walked around Fort-de-France which is the capital city of the island of Martinique. We were cautioned due to recent unrest in Martinique to take care while out and about. There have been protests recently due to the high cost of living, so we chose to not wander too far from the ship. The port is right next to the downtown core, so straight off the ship we were able to wander through the shops and the beautiful Parc La Savane next to Fort Saint-Louis. The fort looks really interesting, but it’s closed on Mondays, so we might make our way back there tomorrow. The Bibliotheque Schoelcher and the Cathedrale Saint-Louis are both very unique buildings to see as well.
When we were in France last winter we often shopped at E.Leclerc for groceries and supplies, and it turns out there is one here in Fort-de-France. We made our way over and picked up a few things; unfortunately, they didn’t have the crepe machine that the ones in France have that produce fresh crepes while you watch. They did have packaged crepes though, so it wasn’t a total loss. On the way there we also saw the largest iguana I’ve ever seen outside a zoo. We weren’t able to get a picture of it because it was making its way through a tree with a bunch of other smaller lizards, but it was pretty cool.
The island of Martinique is part of the Lesser Antilles and is an overseas region of France. It was also home to Josephine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. It has lush vegetation and beautiful mountain vistas. We are eager to explore more tomorrow, but for today the rain is coming in hard and fast. We retired to the ship and spent a quite afternoon watching Up. It was a great reminder that sometimes the most mundane moments make for the best memories.
Our second day in Martinique was fairly uneventful. We talked about taking the ferry across to the beaches, but there was a 90% chance of rain all day. Instead, we walked about an hour through town to get to Intersport and the large Carrefour. There wasn’t much to see as we made our way down the main highway to get there. When we arrived at the Carrefour, we realized it might not have been the best destination. There was a heavy police presence in the parking lot and in the shopping center itself. There were Gendarmerie, swat and local police some of which were wearing ski masks. We made quick work of looking for popcorn and a few other things and beat a hasty retreat. They did have a crepe machine but it was not in service, better luck next time. As we walked back several more police vehicles headed past as well. It would appear that the unrest hasn’t quite been alleviated.
We stopped in town closer to the ship to get some cash and look for a few more small things; then headed back to the ship for lunch. Despicable Me is playing this afternoon, so we probably won’t go out again today. Plus, it’s crazy hot out and we have sweat all we can spare for one day.
In the evening, we had our first Resident’s Speakers Corner. We have a lot of people on board with specialties, doctorates, or even just interesting hobbies, so they’ve arranged for those interested to give talks on topics of their choosing. Our first speaker was retired Biophysicist John Frim who spoke to us about the Biodynamics of Thermoregulation (the science behind how the body regulates temperature). John is a fellow Canadian and his talk was really interesting and timely given the temperatures here in the Caribbean. We now know more about how much a body can sweat in a day than we care to know, we can’t wait for the whole acclimatization thing to kick in.
Roseau, Dominica
We have arrived in Roseau, the oldest and most important urban settlement in Dominica and the capital city. It’s a fairly small city, but it was built on the ancient Carib village of Sairi and has a long history. There are several excursions out to waterfalls and there are some incredible hikes you can do here; unfortunately, the hikes are long, and the temperatures and humidity are extremely high. We opted to wander through town for our first day to get our bearings. The Dominica Botanical Gardens were lovely, and they bring the school children there for outdoor play. In the garden there is a school bus that was crushed by a baobab tree in 1979 during a hurricane; luckily, the bus was empty at the time. At the end of the garden, you can head up Jack’s Walk to the Morne Bruce Viewpoint. It is a short, but steep climb and there are tons of lizards along the trail. We got some great views from the top.
Once we made our way down from the viewpoint, we walked along the river and wound our way back through the town. We were headed back to the ship for lunch and about a block away I got distracted and tripped over a small curb. There was a deep drainage ditch to my right, so I twisted my forearm when I fell trying to avoid it. I’ve got some decent road rash on my knees and palms, but nothing drastic. Unfortunately, later in the day my elbow stiffened up and I’m unable to fully extend it. I went down to visit medical on the ship for the first time and the doctor recommended I head in for an x-ray just to be safe, so tomorrow we will be on standby to experience the local hospital system.
After dinner they had local entertainment on the ship. The Spirit of Dominica: A Celebration of Kalinago Dance & Heritage was an amazing presentation of culture by a local tribe. They travel the world to educate and share their stories.
Day two in Dominica was pretty tame due to my recent injury. We waited for the doctor to call with instructions from the Port Agent for my x-rays. At 11am we met the Port Agent at the gangway, and he drove us to a local radiology clinic. After about an hour wait, they took a couple of x-rays of my arm and called the Port Agent to come and collect us. The x-rays showed a non-displaced radial neck fracture on my right arm. When we got back to the ship Mike headed out for some supplies to keep my scraped knee clean. I headed back down to Medical to find out what comes next. The doctor originally wanted to send me home to consult with an Orthopedic Surgeon just in case, but we decided that was a little excessive.
One of our neighbours has a friend who is a retired Orthopedic Surgeon, and they were able to send him my x-rays. He indicated that surgery was not required. Another resident on the ship is a retired Emergency Room doctor and he took a look as well and agreed that surgery wasn’t needed. The ship doctor still wants me to see someone but is willing to put in a request with the Port Agent at our next stop.
For now, I’m just keeping it immobilized, applying ice and taking anti-inflammatories. Other than that, we had a quiet day.
Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
We spent the morning waiting to hear if the Port Agent was able to get me an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon. Around 11am I checked in with Medical and he said it was unlikely they could get me in today and of course it’s Friday as well. He cleared me to go ashore and wander around, so we went for a short walk. We saw the Memorial ACTe museum that has exhibits on the Caribbean slave trade and indigenous people. We didn’t go in because we didn’t want to be out too long, but the building is beautiful from the outside.
We wandered through town and saw a pelican up close; they are seriously big birds. After popping into a pharmacy for more ibuprofen we headed back to the ship. I managed a shower without too much drama, and we spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
Our second day in Pointe-a-Pitre was a Saturday, so we knew for sure I didn’t need to hang around for Medical. We went for a slightly longer walk and hit up a few shops, but I wasn’t feeling up for anything strenuous. There was a lovely boardwalk that we wandered down.
When we got back to the ship I sent an email to a private orthopedic clinic in Calgary, Alberta to see if they would consider reviewing my x-rays. This would alleviate the need to keep looking for a specialist in the islands. They were very quick to respond and provided confirmation that I do not require surgery. I have to keep my arm in a sling for about 2 weeks and I can’t lift/push/pull with it for 6 weeks, but I’m allowed to move it as much as is comfortable. I may need physical therapy down the road, but for now all is well. I even managed to wash my hair one-handed!
St. John’s, Antigua
We’ve arrived in Antigua! Of course, it’s Sunday, so pretty much everything is closed. I’m still trying to take it easy, so we just went for a walk around town. We checked out the Cathedral and walked to the Epicurean Fine Foods & Pharmacy. The Epicurean was huge and had definite Walmart vibes. The prices were pretty high, but they have anything you could possibly want. I was able to pick up some calcium tablets to aid in healing and hopefully promote stronger bones in the future.
We do think it’s funny and a little sad that we come to all these beautiful places and end up in the grocery store, but we find it interesting to see what they’re like in different places. We also don’t want to spend a ton of money on cabs or excursions, so there has to be something we really want to do for us to spend extra cash. Mostly, we like to walk around the area and try to find lookout points where we can. We feel we experience daily life better by just wandering around and we like to get exercise when we are off the ship.
After dinner we headed to the Coral Club for an ABBA dance party and to meet the new entertainment Island Fusion Duo. It was fun, but I was also exhausted, so we had an early night.
When we woke up on our second day in Antigua we had been joined by two other cruise ships, both significantly larger than ours. That means there is probably another 5000ish people roaming around St. John's today.
I've been resting pretty well and feeling good, but this morning I felt a little overwhelmed and decided I needed a day off. Mike ventured out to see Fort Barrington and Deep Bay Beach on his own and I stayed back to work on the blog. My knee is starting to scab over and is looking great, but walking a lot seems to make it angry. I think the movement pulling on the scab caused some inflammation yesterday, so I figured a slow day wasn't a bad idea. For the record (photo below) the orthopedic surgeon said I don't have to have the sling on all the time and I can move my arm as much as is comfortable.
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