Oscar Port Side!!

It has become an annual March tradition for us to take a cruise in the Caribbean. Last year we did our March cruise, and then took off on our western RV trip in April. We have owned our mountain home since 2013 and I have yet to be here for much of spring; in particular, May when the Mountain Laurels supposedly bloom. I wouldn't know. I haven't seen them yet.  So this year, I begged to stay home for spring. However, seeing as how March is barely spring I willingly succumbed to my favorite activity in March; a two-week cruise in the Caribbean during which the locals back at home experienced the coldest weather so far this winter, and got a few inches of snow to boot. I say we took off at the right time!

We left port in Miami on a windy Sunday in relatively rough water. Getting seasick has always been my biggest fear but, up until this cruise, we've rarely noticed the water. The seas were definitely rougher than we've experienced so far, and while not High Seas, the weather was rough enough that we weren't allowed out on the promenade decks for the first couple of days. Overall, I was OK, but there were moments....

Our first stop was the tiny island of Bonaire. This is one tiny island! It's fairly low-tech as well, as we discovered when we watched the guard open the parking lot gate. Bonaire was originally known for it's salt mines, which used slave labor until the days when slavery finally came to an end.

If you look closely you can see a man on a golf cart to the left of this picture. He is holding the end of the rope that blocks the road from unauthorized traffic. When a vehicle comes along that has permission he drops the rope and lets them through! Just think of how many people we could employ if we got rid of motorized gates! (We saw the same technique employed at the cruise ship parking lot. A man pulled a rope on a pulley to raise the gate.)

Bonaire's fort (shown in its entirety) is right along the main street. It was manned with three cannons. Fortunately they never had to fire them. I'm not sure they would have won the battle. I believe it is recorded as the smallest fort in existence. 

Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba are off the coast of Venezuela, and fairly close together. Of the three, I liked Curacao the best, with its floating bridge and colorful shopping area. It was the prettiest, and the port town itself had the most to offer without booking excursions.

There is nothing quite as spectacular as tropical open air markets.

View of the Curacao shopping area from the floating bridge.

The fort in Curacao has been converted into an open-air mall with shops all around. It was beautiful. We thought that was a great way to utilize an old fort!

These green iguanas were all over. In St. Maarten's the bus driver stopped by a wooded area and we couldn't count all the ones we saw in the trees. They are referred to as the chicken of the trees, I think for a few reasons. (They are plentiful, and I believe they taste like chicken.)

Aruba's environment was a study in contrasts which provided great sightseeing. Its two coastlines are complete opposites. The climate on the northern coast is so rough with constant winds, rough seas, and salt spray that no houses are built there because they won't last. The beaches on the southern coast facing Venezuela, are what draw tourists.

Our tour of the island included a land bridge, lighthouse, and Aloe plantation and factory among other places.

The constant pounding of the sea on the northern coast has created rock formations called Land Bridges, because the rock has eroded leaving an opening beneath the top layer.

This land bridge has collapsed, but the one below is newer and smaller.

The lighthouse is named for and was built after the steamship "California" that capsized on the rocks in 1891. 

A good trip always has a bit of adventure that happens. It's the story that gets told over and over, whether it is exciting, funny, or scary. This cruise gave us a new story to tell as well. It happened one week into the trip on an At Sea day as we traveled from Aruba to Barbados. During dinner, the captain came on the intercom with an urgent call, "Oscar Port side!", which he repeated 3 times. It was very unusual for the captain to interrupt anything, so we knew something was going on. I asked our waiter what the call was about and he explained that OSCAR is the maritime call for Man Overboard!!!

Fortunately that wasn't the case, but that call brought all the right people to the correct stations for what turned out to be the rescue of four fishermen who had been adrift for 5 days. Piecing the story together from several sources, apparently the fishermen had left St. Lucia in a new boat (that I believe was open -- no roof to protect from the sun-- but that is hearsay). For some reason it had become disabled and the fisherman were left to drift on the currents. The ships in the area would have been notified to be on the lookout for a disabled boat. Our ship discovered them (in the dark) and sent out a crew to investigate. Once they were satisfied that the men were in trouble, (rather than 'potential trouble') they sent a rescue boat to bring them on board. Unfortunately, their boat would have been left behind. (NOTE: surprisingly, in this age of instant information, I've been unable to find any reference to the event except by a person who posted a review of his trip online, and watched the rescue from the top deck).

The rescue provided a bit of conversation for the next few days. One waiter said when the initial call of Man Overboard went out they were all on pins and needles until the captain came back on the intercom an hour later and commended his team on a successful rescue. I suspect the fishermen enjoyed the all you can eat buffet after having little, (or nothing?) for five days!

We docked in Barbados the next morning, followed by St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten (St. Martin) islands. On some of the stops we took tours, but mostly we explored the ports on our own.

The tour of Aruba lived up to its billing of Best Sights of Aruba. However, the tour of St. Kitts was our favorite. Not only were the sights interesting, but the bus driver gave a great narrative on life in St. Kitts; education, business, and political insights. Our least favorite tour was on St. Martins. We had a double decker bus with a great view, but the bus was geared for people visiting the island and staying. We were told the best hotels, restaurants and beaches but not much else.

St. Kitts sights were great. My favorite was Romney Manor, the estate of Thomas Jefferson's Great-great-great grandfather, which is now a botanical garden and Batik factory.

It was fascinating watching the Batik process as the design is first drawn on the fabric by hand, and then each layer is hand dyed. The artisan would paint hot wax over the design using fine brushes, or larger ones, depending on the detail of the design. Each color had to be applied by hand over top of the previous color, with new wax protecting desired areas. It is an incredible art form. Not only was I entranced watching them work, but discovering the connection of Romney Manor to our fore-father gave me new insight into the makeup of Thomas Jefferson. It seems as though he came from a long line of explorers who ventured across the ocean to settle new lands.

Batik hanging to dry; some finished, some are between dye sets.

We also visited Brimstone Hill Fortress, built on St. Kitts highest point. Here too, slaves were used to drag the enormous rocks up the steep mountainside. As Americans, we are very aware of the use of slavery in our own past, but we didn't invent it. Slavery has been used since the beginning of time and the islands have a harsh history of slave use in their history, too.

Just getting to the top of the fort was a hair raising deal as the road, narrow and steep to begin with, had several hairpin turns through one way arches with no visibility of oncoming vehicles. Horns were useful and used frequently.

The road up from the Visitors Center was designed for vehicles as well as walking. It was a steep climb to the fort.

View of the cannons and outpost from the top of the fort.

Our last stop was in St. Maarten/St. Martin, the only island under two separate governments. St. Maarten (Dutch Netherlands) , or St. Martin depends on whether you are in the Dutch or the French side. Inhabitants freely drive through borders with no border checks or security issues, just a group of flags to mark the border. When people say, "Why can't we all get along?", St. Martin is a place to look at as an example. They have existed this way for hundreds of years.

Our tour was not as interesting as at the other islands we visited, but there are a few unique sights to see. A famous beach, for instance, is located at the end of a runway. We stopped there and watched as a plane came in to land, just feet above the swimmers. They say the 747 will blow you out of the water (or leave you permanently deaf?).

St. Martin is a very popular spot to visit. As we docked we could see three other cruise ships behind us, all coming in to port.

We've been in port with one other cruise ship, but four was a first for us. The city must have tripled in size while we were all shopping and sight-seeing that day.

Another first was hearing a BIG rumble of motorcycles. Our sister ship, Celebrity Solstice, had a Harley club on board and they were touring the islands on their bikes. From our balcony we could watch as they unloaded the bikes. We also came across them at one of our stops. What a cool way to travel!!

Fun to go, but always great to return.... especially as spring springs forth and the woods become alive again. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, and come next March I think we will be slipping through the blue waters of the Caribbean sipping Mai Tais again. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying Spring in the mountains, and awaiting the Mountain Laurel.