The Cruise. Let me just start by saying "Wahoo!"
We started our adventure Friday night Aug 24th with a giant sleep over at Erika and Marcus's apartment. I didn't sleep very well because of anticipation (and I have a very ridged sleeping routine that if disrupted I can't fall asleep as easily. For example, I like it to be pitch black, I like a fan on, I me and AJ to sleep in PJs. If either of us sleep in our clothes I don't sleep well.) I woke up with 2 lines from "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers. Those 2 lines were:
You know you got to help me out, Yeah, Yeah
Oh don't you put me on the backburner, Yeah, Yeah
I was absolutely certain I would somehow lose mine or AJ's passport. I had a dream several months before we left that I got to San Juan and realized I didn't have either of our passports. I was stuck because I couldn't fly back there wasn't time or money and I couldn't get out of the airport. They wouldn't let me leave without my passport. So, Saturday I checked my backpack repeatedly to be sure the passports didn't somehow disappear. *NOTE: I didn't lose either passport, it's a happy ending!
Saturday Aug 25th was a long travel day. Olivia was so well behaved the entire flight. She put the other babies to shame. She put me to shame. I had my fair share of crying. I had a really bad pressure headache on the whole right side of my face and it made my eye water like crazy. Ok, and yes, I did cry a little too because it hurt. I will admit it. We made it into San Juan and got to the hotel very hungry. We found a little restaurant open 24 hours a day and had hamburgers and fries at midnight.
Sunday Aug 26th we got to go to church! It was in Spanish and it was still true. We sang "Dear to the Heart of the Shepard" and "All Creatures of Our God and King" in Spanish. I could only pick out words here and there. AJ helped translate phrases and ideas. It was really neat to go.
Here is a list of the different things we did:
SAILING ITINERARY
Sunday Aug 26th Leave San Juan
Monday Aug 27th Day at Sea
Tuesday Aug 28th Barbados
Wednesday Aug 29th St. Lucia
Thursday Aug 30th Antigua
Friday Aug 31th St. Maarten (or St. Martin)
Saturday Sept 1st St. Thomas
Sunday Sept 2nd Return to San Juan
BOAT ACTIVITIES
Ice Show
Swing Dance Class
Sky-high Ice Cream Cones
Ice Skating
Mini Golf
In-Line Skating
Rock Wall Climbing
Dinner
Games and Hangning Out: Imagine Iff and Pass the Pigs - Laughing, Laughing, Laughing
SHORE EXCURSIONS
~Barbados Catamaran Sailing and Snorkeling
My dad chartered a catamaran and they took us snorkeling to see a shipwreck. There were bright blue, orange, green, yellow and other colored fish. Their colors were heightened by the sun shining down through the water. The water was so clear you could see the fish and wreckage so detailed.
Then we sailed to another spot were we got to snorkel with turtles and we saw really big fish, like 5ft long. I think maybe they were sea bass or barracuda?? The sailing was not to be overlooked. The wind was gentle and the waves calm. There was a net at the bow that we could sit on to let the waves splash us but the waves weren't high enough to reach us. The water was spectacular: greens, blue, aqua marine, turquoise, tan sand color.
~St. Lucia Art and History Tour (Cancelled)
Instead of the tour we went into town. The town was rudimentary. People were very insistent on us purchasing taxi rides and souvenirs. It was a little uncomfortable but I found a neat candle stick that had 3 different kinds of woods in a checkered pattern. There was a bigger more beautiful vase but it was more expensive and I didn't want to pay.
~Antigua Kayak and Snorkel Adventure
We started out with a bus drive to the dock then a motorboat drove us around a series of islands giving a small tour of the waters. There is Rabbit Island where all the Pelicans nest. Again, the water was amazing.
We reached a little beach and climbed up a hill to a look out point. It was beautiful, small islands sparkling water, reefs. We then were able to snorkel. I didn't like this snorkeling as much. I should have followed my dad, he found the money spot with a giant school of bright fish. We saw some pink jelly fish about 14" in diameter. The guides picked up the jellies and didn't get hurt at all but they did say they would give us a mild sting.
We had a little time to enjoy the beach. Marcus and I found a small hermit crab. I picked it up and pinched me so I dropped it. After the breach we headed to another small ring of islands where the kayaks were stored. The guide led us around giving us a little tour. He found us a starfish! We got to hold it and it was huge! It was like 10" in diameter. It was peach colored and spiny on the top side. On the underside there were little teeth intertwined the way fingers look when hands are folded. But the teeth weren't that long. the teeth line ran down the middle of each arm like spokes of a wheel until they all met in the middle. At the end of the Kayak tour we had a race and Monica and Johnny won!
On the way back from the excursion AJ saw a steel-pan drum vendor. The vendor happened to be right where the van dropped us off. After an episode of "The Office" where Michael visits Jamaca and returns with a steel drum, AJ just knew he had to have one. He loves music and instruments. He had been searching all the islands and couldn't find a drum for less than $60. But the drum on Antigua (or as the natives pronounce it: Antiga) was $35 and he talked him down to $28. He can now proudly play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and a couple other songs.
~St. Maarten Lotery Treetop Tour
We took a bus ride through Dutch St. Maarten into French St. Martin. There were cacti all over the hills. It was strange, it looked out of place. The guide said if you wanted to call someone on the Dutch side while you were on the French side of the island it would be an international call. It is cheaper to have 2 cell phones. The tour was in the Lotery Tree Farm, a preserved rain forest. The tour was a ropes course. 32 platforms, 9 zip lines. There were Tarzan ropes, bridges, rope loops, tight ropes...There were lizards everywhere on all the trees. I also saw a humming bird.
My mom did this with us and she was so brave. She wanted to broaden her horizons and try something new. And she did a great job. She loved the zip lines.
There was a cocoa nut smoothie shop right before the entrance to the ship pier. A lady stood by giving away samples and since it was non-alcoholic I ventured a sip. It was so creamy! The best you could imagine. I passed by a second time later and got another sample. By my third passing I couldn't go on without buying a glass. It was a dream. The best money I ever spent.
~ St. Thomas
My parents had a para sailing excursion and AJ and I documented that for them as we weren't going and it was another new thing my mom was trying. By this island there were pirate t-shirts and other memorabilia. I really thought all the boys needed to get pirate shirts. I started to realize that I was the one that wanted the pirate shirt so I bought myself one. It was the best one in the whole chain of islands! It is very stylized with old english type face and the phrase "A pirates life for me". I am waiting in earnest for Friday when I can where it to work for casual day.
On our way back to the ship we rode a little tram that had to stop in the middle of the road to accommodate 2 crossing iguanas. We ended up seeing a total of 6 on the way to the ship!
I don't know why, but I look a little awkward. 
There were cute little flowers by our tent. I need to take a picture of them.
The Mountains were gorgeous! The leaves were starting to turn and there were yellow, orange, and red patches all over. It was so beautiful right against the green.
