Cruising the Western Caribbean with friends on the MSC Cruise Line

The Darf House

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Dec.,11, 2013 our MSC Cruise with friends... Ft Lauderdale to the Western Caribbean

A DAY AT SEA

On our stateroom balcony, my hair blows to the tune of the wind and waves. Voices from adjoining balconies blend as this ship edges along the Bermuda Triangle. I listen to the sea; it sings to me a tune, low with its own backup of  soft winds. We move over water that sparkles silver and gray as far away as the Great Exuma to the North and the rain forests of Jamaica coming our way sometime in the night. I smack my lips to taste the salt that falls from my hair. I ride my thoughts like current and wonder while my mind wanders at the song that surrounds me.

Sun shines through strands of summer-bleached hair as my squinted eyes gaze

over soft waves. I suck the warm salts from Caribbean air and watch current caps twinkle silver

under the sun now far away in the western sky. My thoughts go farther than my eyes. The sea full of life waltzes in my head. The precious corals surround themselves in a school of golden fishes and tango

with breaths of greenery. I see it all in neon. I know what is in the sea. On this deck I gaze at the heavens. I’ve been in the clouds and beyond.

Suddenly the sky to the west is dark gray, with gray rain falls. The water is charcoal;

the air is cool.

Out of the Bermuda Triangle, we wait as mean storm clouds move toward us. We must postpone Heaven imagery. We must first move into the cabin and out of the storm moving on the sea.

Falmouth, Jamaica

                We took a ride on the trolley, $25 per-person. Susan was tour guide. She explained that Jamaica got its Independence in 1962. Yama, she said, means yes; irama means feelings; and

no problem mon, means there is just a situation

                Outside building in the town are original, she said. The trolley tour was enjoyable but certainly not up to our expectations.

                Next, we rented a tour van and enjoyed a scenic rice to Montego Bay and back to Falmouth. On the way to Montego Bay, the van blew a tire…. two Jamaican cab driver stopped to help get it fixed.

                The ride was pleasant. We stopped at the top of a winding hill to visit the Darf House, built by slaves and previously owned by a rich cane-plantation and slave owner.

                We purchased a few souvenirs; also I mailed a card and letter to my daughter.

                Back aboard, we sit on the balcony, listen to natives play Jamaican music and watch passengers meander back to the ship.

Curacao

Dec. 13, 2013: 

               Again we plan for another “relaxing day at sea.” We watch people wander the corridors lounges and dining areas dressed in long dresses and tux, diamond earrings, spiked-hell shoes and clanking bracelets. Humans of all lands and all seasons. Soon I retire to the balcony with a book title Lonely Avenue, the unlikely life & times of Doc Pomus, by Alex Halberstadt, a pad and pen in my hand. I put myself in another land, another day. Only the Caribbean wind blowing hair over my face and the salty air‘s embrace touches me physically. On page 41, I read of a place in 1945 in Harlem called the Baby Grand Honky-Tonk. Here a spot of light danced across the ceiling and bounced off a pair of shiny steal legs. And I read of the absences of self- pity and how Doc gets around on the subways in Harlem to Manhattan and I marvel at the thought of who was there watching the show. And I wonder where I will be when, at any pinpoint in time, someone is watching me. Exciting what words of a book can do. The Caribbean breeze over the blue waters is heavenly. Maybe I will linger on this balcony through the sunset and until the dawn awakes me?

                I read until our friends returned to their stateroom balcony after doing some “partying” in various ship lounges. My friend’s laughter over-rode the waves that clashed onto the ship. She had juices she’d picked up at the buffet, two decks above us. “I even got garnish” she noted loudly, and with laughter. Needless to say, I retired my book for the afternoon.

Curacao

ARUBA

Aruba is a lovely Dutch Island. As other Island run by the Dutch, it is clean with manicured landscapes.  I was amazed at the beautiful cactus, cactus trees and flowers growing over virgin lands. I noticed palm trees grew only in housing developments, so it is my guess they are brought in.  According to our tour guide, a small well-kept house would cost about $70,000-to-80,000. Housing runs some $400,000 in gated communities, he noted.I think I could handle life in this majestic environment—not the upper-class but the ordinary colorful little houses with cactus blooming in the yards.       

CURACAO

Off the ship, we chose a tour bus for a sight-seeing trip over this Dutch island. We sat on the first row of seats behind the driver. A woman lingered at a seat in from of us. She complained that she has motion sickness and had to have a front seat. Her husband told her, “Just sit down.” She made him sit in the jump-seat beside her, even though he said he would rather sit in a regular seat further back.

                Some people behind us asked the bus driver to stop at an ATM so they could get American currency, which is acceptable in most of the Caribbean Islands. After the stop, the folks got into an argument about who’s seat was where.

                For a while, the weather was looking like rain, but then all-of-a-sudden, the sun came out and smiled down on Christmas decorations throughout the elegant city. After the two-hour tour, we walked through bits of downtown. We stopped at an outside bar and ordered a beer. Met a nice young couple from the St. Paul-Minneapolis area.  It took their photo, also snapped one of the nice young bartender who came from Holland. “My mother loved me so much, she sent me to the other side of the world,” he said.  Someday, he wants to be a chef and retire and “die” in Italy, he said.

Jamaica

On the Balcony, Dec. 17, 2013

On the balcony this pleasant day at sea we travel from Curacao 696 nautical miles to Cristobal, Panama. Flying fish bring the sea to life. We watch sea birds follow and dive for the fascinating silver critters before they disappear back into the Caribbean. The winds are soft. I read to the tune of waves washing alongside the ships bottom deck. Tomorrow morning we will arrive at port and linger there for the day. We have been to this very poor country of several times. No reason to again tour the poor.

                After a walk through the port, going online, and stopping for a beer, we went back to the ship. I sat on the deck, a breeze cooling over me while I sipped a grapefruit and vodka drink with a pineapple slice fixed on the glass rim. An enjoyable afternoon of reading.

Fun on the MSC

Dec. 18, 2013

                In the Jazz lounge fives girls and a guy line dance. The routine looks like the one we do at country line dancing in Florida called the “Chattahoochee Choo-Choo Train”, but they are doing the dance slower as they count steps in Spanish.

                Back on the cabin balcony, I read “Lonely Street”, while a sea bird, brown on top with white on its belly and its wings, follow schools of flying sea fish; the bird dives for them as they surface.

                This book has such meaningful interest, with incite to a lot of personalities, including Roger Dangerfield, Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Dione, Bette Mitter, Jimmy Clanton and Bobby Ridal. Maybe I will review it for Amazon.

Aruba

                The sun wasn’t orange when I woke this morning. It was white with gray clouds moving over it to light the sky with a gray and white paint. I watched for a while then took a few photos from the wind-howling balcony. 

 Cozumel was our last port. We walked around the town. I was amazed at a mime with a long dress coated with mud. Pigeons surrounded her, a coupled rested on her arms. It was a great photo opts for sure. I always remember the margaritas at the Wet Wendy’s and tequila t Senior Frogs… because I paid the price. Up throughout the night with a severe stomach illness. Spent most of the last day at sea in bed. But the trip with friends was lots of fun.

Heading home across Alligator Alley:

Now, I look forward to home, the wild turkeys, the birds and much other nature in my own back yard.

Aruba

Nasau Bahamas party time

Azores, April 17, 2013

Take a quick tour with me of the lovely Azores Island

The most beautiful land;
clean, breathtaking, exciting, friendly

Panama Canal Cruise 2012 Ocean-to-Ocean

Autumn 2012 Panama Canal Cruise

Two Weeks on the Celebrity Infinity cruising down the coast of Mexico on the Pacific Ocean and crossing through the Panama Canal and on to the Atlantic Ocean and home again.

Cruising is a good time from visiting other countries to relaxing aboard the liner and meeting people and making new friendships.

Our cabin was great, big and with a balcony. We were surprised with complimentary champagne and fruit, along with afternoon caviar and vibrate fresh-cut flowers.

We boarded the Celebrity Infinity in San Diego about noon after getting up at 3 a.m., getting a car to the Tampa International Airport for our flight on United Airlines, and not to forgetting changing from one flight to another in Houston. Before sailing from San Diego harbor we stood on deck and watched Naval helicopters on practice before enjoying a nice lunch at the buffet and grill.

We had several choices for dinning. In the evenings we mostly took advantage of dinner in the “Blue Café”, which has a fabulous array of fine foods including of filet minion, escargot, cold avocado soup with shrimp. After dinner we usually went to the variety show, sometimes being served complimentary champagne. The theater offered a balance of musicals and comedy. Afterwards sat on the balcony late into the evening and watched the Pacific Ocean white-capped waters rising as the ship cruised on.

The first morning aboard, I went up to the gym, on the 10^th floor, for Yoga practice. When I paid for the 40-minute session and did a little figuring, I decided not to participate in the exercise for the next two weeks.

Also on the first day, after breakfast in buffet dining room, we cheerfully joined with a tour being escorted through the ship’s kitchen. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The large emasculate area and employees were great. Totally clean!

Coming into the waters of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Thursday morning, I could not help but notice the aqua waters and the awesome stone hill.  Here, cruisers had to tender in, as there are no docks for ocean liners. We walked streets of the lovely city, stopped at a couple bar & grills and did some souvenir shopping. At the Happy Ending, we took advantage of $2.00 Corona with a double shot of tequila. The place was great, with free Internet and free International phone calling. Just remember, when you go there be sure to get on a tender back to the ship while you can still walk.

I did sleep well that night.

Well certainly, with many extra calories added to my normal daily night, I spent much time the following morning walking up and down staircases. Then to breakfast in the Blue Café and then a walk on the top 91-degree-windy joggers trail on the 11^th deck before retiring to the cabin to sit on the balcony to watch the peaks of the mountains of Bahia California reaching through the haze  on the Coast of Mexico and gaze at the aqua blue Pacific where fish were jumping and seabirds circling and every-once-in-a-while sea turtles floated by at the water surface.

Next stop:   Puerto Vallarta, Mexico… with a dock… which was nice although being tendered in as we were in Cabo San Lucas was fun, too.  Here, we took a cab to mid-town and then proceeded to walk the Malecon, which, stretched some 15-plus city blocks along the seawall and that has sculptures; plus  the most awesome landmark—the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe—about a half-block from the Malecon. (I was on my way inside when I learned, “They are having Mass.” Whoops….  No photographing inside today.

On a street just north of the boardwalk we crossed over a water-way and in a few blocks, turned back toward the ocean and parked ourselves at the Cheeky Monkey Bar & Grill where we chatted with fun servers and local people.  We ordered Blood Mary’s ($4.00 each,  & $1.00 beers) and watched people walking the Malecon. Soon locals set up stands and shucked oysters and prepared the most mouth-waters servings of oysters-on-the half-shell  anybody could ever imagine.

After shopping for souvenirs we spotted a cab with its driver napping under a tree. We awoke him and went back to the ship.

Back on our cabin balcony we sipped wine and watched the going-on at the port—buses coming in from tours and people walking the dock to the ship’s boarding area.

Days at sea were relaxing. Enjoyed sitting on our balcony and watching the tall mountains raising behind layers of glistening  mist that reminded me of the sun shining through the rain between the shore and this ship.

Our next stop was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We took a tour bus to Antigua and then walked the cobblestone street of this surprisingly lovely old city. (I plan to write an article on Antigua and post more pictures soon.)

Puntarenas, Costa Rica, sad to report the town was quite untidy. After getting off the ship I walked to the first street and turned right (north). Found few tourist and the further I walked the dirty the streets and the more rundown the buildings. (I learned later that the area was not recommended for walkers from the cruise ships and, although I wasn’t bothered, turning left at that first corner had certainly been a mistake).  Store fronts, including restaurants were closed with iron gates closings and even boarded. Getting a little concerned about my walking alone in this undesirable part of the city I turned east and for a block then back south. The further south I walked, the more desirable the city became. Finding myself among people, mostly locals, I did some souvenir shopping and parked myself in an Internet café for a while before returning to the ship and having sushi on the 10^th deck by the pool.

Not only was the balcony a wonderful place to just hangout, it was awesome for dining—especially breakfast and snacks.

Breakfast and lunch on the sunny tail deck overlooking the surf stirred up by the ship was hard to beat.

Needless to say, the ocean-to-ocean voyage through the Panama Canal was amazing. Very educational and a book of its own! (I plan to post another article and more photos about the canal soon.)

We dismbarked in Colon, Panama on Nov. 3, which is Panama Independence Day, to the sounds of distant drums and other music. The city, of some one-million people, much like most we explored in Central America is quite poor and very trashy. Our cab driver pointed out to us a house that had burn down but still had a few charcoal studs standing, “People still live there,” he said. It is amazing how tour guides seem unmoved by this; as if they think it is an okay environment.

Entering waters of Cartagena, Columbia, we were amazed to see tall, white structures of modern décor in the metropolitan area—not really for tourist. We had planned to take a taxi to the old, historic part of the city (known as Centro or Old Walled City or Centro Historical or Old City) but were soon talked into the some four-hour taxi tour, which ended up being quite interesting and very educational. We visited the Covento La Popa de la Galera, located on tallest mountain peak in the city. Here, we could view all parts of the city below—the modern-day high-rises, Old Town, and the poor side, which according to our guide is extremely poor and the location of the “real” (poor) people.

We made it back to the ship early enough before sailing to sit on the balcony and watch passengers of both the Infinity and beside us a Holland American re-boarding. Captains of the Holland American made several announcements, and waiting nearly an hour longer than their scheduled sailing time, for a couple missing passengers. But finally officials announced that they could wait no longer. And the ship sailed…

And then Welcome Home: Two days after leaving this South American country, and two-weeks of cruising, we sailed into the harbor at  Ft. Lauderdale and headed back to West Central Florida.

Bridged By Love, historical fiction by Patricia Lieb