Barbados

Barbados is an independent island with an English history and is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands.  Our ship docked in the capital city of Bridgetown on the southwest side of the island on the Caribbean Sea.  Because Barbados is such a lush green island with various landscapes, we decided to take a tour that circled the whole island so we could see as much as possible and take in the diversity.  Departing from Bridgetown, we headed along the coastline to the West coast of the island where some of the most exclusive 5-star hotels are located.  The famous Sandy Lane Resort is in this area.  The hotel rooms start at $3,000.00 US per night.  Tiger Woods was married here and rented all of the rooms for his wedding guests.  We all know how that turned out!  We also passed by an 8-Unit condominium complex where the famous singer from Barbados, Rihanna, owns an 8,000 square foot unit.  Sadly, we did not get a chance to knock on her door for a visit.

From there we went to the North coast passed the agricultural area where fields of sugar cane and other crops grow in abundance.  They export sugar to England, but the other crops are for their own consumption.  With the tropical, moist climate and rich soil there is no reason to go hungry on this island.  Also, flying fish is a very popular dish here.  Somehow, the Bajans have mastered the art of picking out the bones of this very bony fish.

Traveling along narrow, mountainous roads, we continued to the East coast of the island to check out the “wild side”.  The Atlantic side has a rugged, rocky shoreline and rough seas.  We stopped in the fishing village of Bathsheba and checked out the scenic rough coastline up close.  The area is known as “Surfer’s Paradise” and hosts international surfing competitions annually.  Surfing here is not for the faint of heart.

Scenic overlook

Bathsheba

"Mushroom Rock" - Boulders that fell from the mountains
and eroded from the strong Atlantic waves

Next, we stopped to tour the historic St. John’s Church located 800 feet above the coastline offering a breathtaking view of the waves crashing in on the shore down below.  The church has held services since 1635.  Our tour guide pointed out that every parish on the island has a parish church.  Around the corner from each church is a rum bar.  The islanders say they get you in the "spirit" through one or the other.


View of eastern shoreline from above at St Johns Church

Church cemetery



St. Johns Anglican Church

Interestingly, there are remnants of a number of windmills scattered around the island.  We passed by them as we toured. One of the ancient windmills still operates at the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill.

Our final stop on the tour took us to the Sunbury Plantation House which was built in 1660.  The house is still under private ownership, but the owners do not reside there anymore.  It houses a museum containing furnishings and artifacts from the plantation era.  Touring the many rooms of the house and its cellar offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of the wealthy plantation owners through history.


Sunbury Plantation  House/Museum

We finished up our tour with a buffet lunch served on the grounds of the plantation.  The menu included flying fish and, of course, rum punch made with flavorful Mount Gay rum which is distilled here in Barbados.

NEXT STOP, DEVIL'S ISLAND, FRENCH GUIANA.

Martinique

Upon setting sail from St. Kitts, the Sojourn headed south for a choppy overnight trip past several islands including Antigua, Guadeloupe and Dominica on our way to the French island of Martinique. We docked in the area of Trois Islets so named because of three islands just off the coast. This area is across the bay from Forte de France which is the capital of Martinique.

We started our day walking along a pretty beach on our way to a charming area called Village Creole which is a waterfront area that includes a marina, cute boutiques, restaurants, cafes and bars housed in colorful vintage Caribbean cottages.  From there we explored an area of local hotels and a series of small, tree lined crescent shaped beaches.  One of the hotels is where Brian stayed during several of his business trips to Martinique.  We found a nice shaded spot on one of these beaches and spent some time enjoying the Caribbean breezes.  There were mostly French tourists on  these beaches.  There are daily Air France flights from Paris to Martinique so it is a popular destination for the French.  We can report that the “Speedo” is alive and well in the French islands!

This tranquil area of Trois Islet has a lot to offer as a peaceful tropical getaway.
 

Village Creole shops and restaurants

Beautiful bays and beaches

NEXT STOP, BARBADOS.

Beach Party in Tropical Paradise

For our stop in St. Kitts, Seabourn planned a barbeque on a private beach.  Carambola Beach is a beautiful golden sand beach situated on a picturesque bay of turquoise water.  The weather was hot and sunny, but a cooling Caribbean breeze aided by lounge chairs, beach umbrellas and icy rum punches made us very comfortable.  We spent the morning lounging on the beach listening to a steel drum band.  All us passengers were greatly anticipating Seabourn's signature "Caviar in the Surf" event.  Right on time, a Zodiac comes streaking into the bay with an alarm sounding to alert us to get up from our chaise lounges and wade into the surf for champagne and caviar.  Like a school of fish, we all swarmed en masse towards the caviar.  The chefs and crew served us chilled champagne and fancy caviar from floating surfboards in the water.  The beach party really ramped up then.  Soon after, an amazing barbeque lunch was served which included lobster, steak, ribs, etc. along with an open bar.  The rest of the day was spent on this idyllic beach paradise.  This over the top event is always a highlight of our trips.

 

 

Carambola Beach

Yippee, the caviar is coming soon!
 

The feeding frenzy begins

Lobster and steaks on the grill

Gentle surf of Carambola Beach bay


NEXT STOPS...MARTINIQUE AND BARBADOS

Ahhh...The Caribbean

After a chilly morning in Miami, we boarded the Sojourn and, thankfully, were headed south to warmer weather.  Being on the Sojourn flooded us with memories of our World Cruise 4 years ago.  We recognized several crew members from past sailings, including our Cruise Director, Sophie, as well as several other passengers.  It was great to re-unite with these familiar faces.

We quickly settled into our luxurious lifestyle as we sailed for 2 days en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico for our first stop.  We spent the days enjoying the amenities of this beautiful ship and attending port talks and other lectures.

450 Passenger Seabourn Sojourn...Our Home Away from Home

 

First Formal Night

Ready for the Good Life

 

Sail Away Deck Party
 

   

As we sailed into San Juan, the weather was hot and sunny and the blue waters of the Caribbean sea glistened in the sun.  We spent our day in Old San Juan, the historic colonial walled area of town.  We toured the fort built by the Spanish in the 1500s to defend the harbor from the Dutch, Portuguese and English.  El Morro is an impressive fortress that was used by the US government as recently as World War II to defend against possible attacks in the Caribbean.  We also toured a historic church, a hotel that was once a convent and saw many statues and memorials within the walled area.  We stopped in at El Patio de Sam's, a restaurant and bar that Brian visited many times while on business in San Juan. 

Fortress El Morro is situated at the entrance to San Juan harbor



Walkway to El Morro

View from the top of El Morro

Brian taking position to protect San Juan

Before arriving we were very curious as to what we would find in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.  At least this part of the island appears to be thriving.  Many of the old buildings have been freshly repainted and the quaint brick streets were clean and inviting.  We finished up our stop at a Sunday Market that was lively and buzzing with commerce.  Clearly, San Juan is open for the tourist trade.  Hopefully, the tourism will help with the economics of re-building the rest of the island.

Old San Juan colonial buildings in Plaza de Armas

Easy walk from the pier to Old San Juan

We are happy to be back in the Caribbean where Brian traveled extensively for Cariba International.  This trip is his first trip to the region in several years.  Of course, traveling as a tourist is a lot more fun than business travel.  For Linda, traveling with a personal tour guide has many advantages.

NEXT STOP,  ST. KITTS.

Sailing on January 4, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

We are excited to embark on a cruise on Thursday, January 4th on the Seabourn  Sojourn.  We fly from Tampa to Miami and board the ship for a 5:00 p.m. sail away.  On this 38 day cruise, we will be re-visiting some familiar locations in the Caribbean and South America on the first segment of the trip from Miami to Rio de Janeiro as well as visiting a few new places.  The second segment of the trip takes us from Rio across the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa.   It will be an adventure to all new places ultimately ending our cruise in Cape Town, South Africa.  We will stop at several islands of St. Helena in the Atlantic that we've never heard of before, but we're looking forward to exploring these new places.

As always, when we travel on long trips, we like to journal some of our experiences and pictures.  We invite our family and friends to check on our blog periodically and comment back to us.  It keeps us in touch with home and means a lot to us to hear back from you when we are so far away.

First Segment:  Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Second Segment:  Rio across the ocean stopping at some

Atlantic islands in St. Helena, then on  to the
African nations of Namibia & South Africa


WE WILL BE IN TOUCH SOON!!!