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Caribbean Photos 2016

Eleri and I went on a cruise around the Caribbean in January/February, 2016. Here's a blog about it. Here's a full slideshow, and here's a shorter slideshow of my favourites.

Favourites

These are my favourite few photos. If you just want a quick peek, here's a slideshow of them.

Miami beach

Miami docks sunset

Half Moon Cay: Eleri and the Glory

Half Moon Cay: Kite surfers out to sea

Half Moon Cay: Kite surfer close-up

Half Moon Cay: Old boat

Grand Turk: Lighthouse

Grand Turk: Shop corner

 

Grand Turk: At the jetty

Grand Turk: Shops and cyclist

Grand Turk: Free Wifi

Grand Turk: Beer and Mike

Grand Turk: Windmill

Grand Turk: Along the pier

Antigua: Pelicans

Antigua: Flirting

Antigua: Idyll

Antigua: Plank and boat

 

Antigua: Through the bushes

Antigua: Man and tree

Antigua: Snorkelling conch

Antigua: Red-billed tropicbird

Antigua: Catamaran and island

Antigua: Devil's Gate

Antigua: Devil's Gate

Martinique: Man on dock

Martinique: Cottage door

Martinique: Sacre Coeur in distance

Martinique: Stream at waterfall

Martinique: Rhum palms

Martinique: Rhum boiler

Martinique: Volcano bay

Martinique: Shorts for sale

Martinique: Fort-de-France debate

St Lucia: Airstrip

St Lucia: Price of coconuts in Castries

St Lucia: Palm and view

St Lucia: Soufriere and pitons

St Lucia: Restaurant windows

St Lucia: Volcano people

St Lucia: Seaside village

St Lucia: Fishing village

St Lucia: Mountain shop

St Lucia: Coastal arch

St Lucia: Coca Cola in Castries

St Lucia: Dock ropeman and boat

St Kitts: Romney Manor flower tree

St Kitts: Romney Manor moss tree

St Kitts: Romney Manor batik for sale

St Kitts: Romney Manor beer lady

St Kitts: Bamboo pub

St Kitts: Beach cafe

St Kitts: Eleri

St Kitts: Rain at the beach

St Kitts: Above and below

St Thomas: Above Charlotte Amalie

St Thomas: Margaritaville pool

St Thomas: Margaritaville iguana

St Thomas: Snorkelling fish

St Thomas: Margaritaville beach panorama

San Juan: Bus

San Juan: Bar and Eleri

San Juan: Gallery guy

San Juan: El Santo Cristo chapel

San Juan: Shady corner

San Juan: Bird and leaves

San Juan: Cemetery and lighthouse

San Juan: Cemetery Jesus crosses

San Juan: Walkers

San Juan: Arch and flags

San Juan: Statue and flags

San Juan: Mural and car

San Juan: Fountain and cloud

San Juan: Wallside kiss

San Juan: San Juan: Tree and sweeper

San Juan: Watchtower crumbling

San Juan: Wallside Eleri

San Juan: Iguana and sea

San Juan: Eleri and iguana

San Juan: Lizard lecture

San Juan: Arch colours

San Juan: La Mallorquina

San Juan: Sea street

 

 

 

Friday 22 Jan : Miami

Stayed with Hel+James before leaving UK so free parking and easy train to Gatwick. Flew Norwegian in a Dreamliner, though they charge for food/drink. But the seat screen died so we got fed free. Met Martin and Jill from Devon on shuttle to Best Western, then found it was the wrong Best Western. For M&J too so shared taxi. Heads down at 11pm local time, which is 5hrs behind the UK. Yawn.

Woke too early so breakfasted before meeting up with Mike and Cyndi. Mike's brother Steve (and wife Terry) got stuck in the snow up North in Richmond, Virginia, where the airport closed. So they hired a car and drove 1000 miles to get here, including through 300 miles of white out. Their state had over 1000 snow-related road accidents yesterday and its amazing they got here. That pioneer spirit is still alive!

Then taxi to ship, where Mike's diamond membership smoothed an early boarding experience. Glory's a big boat with 2800 passengers, but with size comes all kinds of amenities. Of course they want to sell you stuff andw the persuasive language can irksone, but mostly It's entertaining. My favourite today is 'value-infused guarantee'.

Lovely sunset Miamiscape on the way out, then usual confusion at first dinner as the six of us who asked to sit together get put on different tables. Mike chewed the maitre's ear and all will be resolved tomorrow.

 

 

Miami beach

Miami front panorama

Miami road panorama

Miami buildings sunset

Miami docks sunset

Miami docks sunset

Miami docks sunset

Miami bridge sunset

Dancing as we leave Miami

Leaving Miami behind

Sunrise

 

 

Saturday 23 Jan

Sea day. Lots of lazing, reading and doing nothing.

 

A nice sunrise

Another sunrise photo

   

 

Sunday 24 Jan : Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay is a strip of sand owned by the cruise line. Early sunrise photos then chill until we catch the tender. Just a strolling day, walking white sands by an azure sea with lunch onshore. Watched amazing kite surfers leap way into the air, then

Then back for the big match. Mike's from Denver and the Broncos were playing New England in the playoffs. Very tight game and Denver won, getting them to the Superbowl. Late to dinner and so to bed.

 

Tourist end of the beach

Eleri and the Glory

Galleon bar

Reverse view through Galleon bar

Lifeguards

Lifeguards and Galleon bar

Cabanas on the beach

Kite surfer getting ready

Kite surfers out to sea

Jumping kite surfer

Kite surfer high jump

Kite surfer close-up

Boat jetty

Dave waiting at boat jetty

Old boat

Stingrays

Local church

Bird eating cake

   

 

Monday 25 Jan

At sea. Warm and pleasant day. Mostly wrote and read. Formal dinner so we went down in matching Hawaiian shirts, to the horror, amusement and confusion of other diners.

 

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise panorama

Sea day

 

Tuesday 26 Jan : Grand Turk

Grand Turk. Woke up docked. Rain as we disembarked, but cleared up along the way on a tour around the not-very-big and rather flat island. It's a bit decayed, following the collapse of the salt industry and the abandonment of the US military base. These days it's still a UK protectorate but not much seems to go on there. We visited the old lighthouse and Cockburn Town, then pottered the beach by the cruise terminal, ending up in a shanty beach bar, quaffing the local beer and feeding a snack to a couple of cute stray dogs.

 

Island panorama

Welcome jetty

Wet start

Lighthouse

Donkey

Church

Houses

Houses

Salt pans

Shop corner

At the jetty

At the jetty

Surf along the beach

Gift shop

Shops and cyclist

Shops

Man and dog

People on beach

Beach stall

Free Wifi

Beach bar

Us at beach bar

Beer and Mike

Builder's cleavage

Windmill

Beach sunbathers and pier

Turk's head cactus

Along the pier

Two ships

 
     
       
       

 

Wednesday 27 Jan

Fun day at sea. We knew because the blurb said so. Photographed skies, read, wrote, walked, laundered and ate. Then went to a stage hypnosis show. Interesting. The guy was good, though the Ericksonian influence was clear.

Thursday 28 Jan : Antigua

Antigua. Most of the day out on a boat. Loitered off Long Island, home and holiday destination for the uber-rich. Mega-houses and pristine everything. Saw a sea turtle. Then to Hell's Gate, hole in rock at edge of lagoon with raging Atlantic beyond. Went to beach on Bird Island for swimming (nearly trod on sea urchin), lunch and hike up slippery hill for nice view, lizards and strange birds. Finally out to coral reef for snorkelling. Then back to town, accompanied by the sound of multiple rum punches being glugged.

Went for potter around. Beyond shiny tourist bit, it's rather dilapidated (though still photogenic). It's another place where military have just left and the economy is wobbly. Then back for dinner, including alligator (chewy) and curry (bland).

 

Entering port

Entry panorama

Wreck in port

First view of St John's

Pelicans

Boat driver

Beach front

Water sports

 
Sandals resort

Little island

Ferry

Flirting

Mangrove

Sea invites

Sea bird

Idyll

Posh house

Eleri on boat

Plank and boat

 

Plank and boat

Island bay

Through the bushes

Hermit crab

Man and tree

Cactus and view

Island panorama

Red-billed tropicbird

Island and sky

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate

Catamaran and island

Snorkelling

Snorkelling fish

Snorkelling fish

Snorkelling conch

Steve and conch

Ladies in St. John

House in St. John

Man in St. John

Shops in St. John

Square in St. John

Ship and shops

Triple wash

 

Friday 29 Jan : Martinique

Watched flying fish playing in ship's wake as we steam into Martinique. Proudly French, as only the French can do, and with a friendly, multiracial population. More mountainous again, with little flat land, loads of trees and fewer beaches.

The six of us hired a taxi for the day and went on an island tour including: to a mini version of Sacre Coeur (complete with nativity including giant cocker spaniel), stopping at a roadside shack with humming birds, through a rainforest, past the volcano that killed 30,000 in 1905, touring a rum agricole factory with nice tasting, pausing for assorted flowers and fruit, stopping at various viewpoints, and going to a splendid beach bar for a real local lunch (I had marlin) and beer.

Afterwards strolled Fort de France. More developed than other places so far, though with a strange surfeit of shoe shops. Back for dinner then watched Avengers Age of Ultron on big outdoor screen by pool.

 

Panorama of island

Man on dock

Dock panorama to Fort de France

Blocking our view

House and dishes

Nutmeg

Roadside flower

Cottage

Cottage door

Old loo

Sacre Coeur in distance

Sacre Coeur

Inside Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur nativity

Waterfall

Us at waterfall

Stream at waterfall

Stream at waterfall

Rhum factory

Rhum mansion

Rhum water bowl

Rhum palms

Rhum Caocotchocc tree

Rhum boiler

Rhum gears

Rhum barrels

Volcano bay

Shorts for sale

Beach bar

Beach bar lunching

Lady talk

Beach bar road

Fort-de-France shopping street

Fort-de-France Chez Nono

Fort-de-France Hotel de Ville

Fort-de-France street corner

Fort-de-France Wall Street

Fort-de-France debate

   

 

Saturday 30 Jan : St Lucia

St Lucia. Another island tour booked by Mike. Going with him and family makes travel a bit more expensive, but adds so much more interest.

Quick potter around market in Castries before tour of SW of island. Very tropical with palms, bananas and lots of rainforest over very steep terrain. Which makes for many photo stops. Visited 'The only drive-in volcano in the Caribbean', still smoking and stinking of sulphur. Local town Sulfriere literally means 'sulphur in the air'. Lunch in genuine local hillside restaurant with all kinds of Caribbean veg and fruit. Then back, via bumpy roads. Our driver, Hugo, said he is a PhD -- a Pothole Dodger.

In evening did 'Chef's table' tour of enormous galley (catering for 5000 Inc staff) followed by possibly the best meal of our lives. 11 courses of delicious, exquisite constructions. Mega-yum.

 

Sunrise

Airstrip

Dock panorama

Harbour

Seafront

Price of coconuts in Castries

Do not...

Castries market

 
Reading the Bible

Street market

Police vehicle

Panorama above Castries

Banana trees

Bananas ripening

Homestead

Palm and view

Mountain scenery

Roadside stall

Soufriere and pitons

Soufriere street

Soufriere church

Volcano sign

Volcano steam

Volcano steam

Volcano pools

Volcano people

Volcano stream

Restaurant exterior

Restaurant interior

Restaurant window and piton

Restaurant windows

Restaurant chef

Seaside village

Village street

Village street

Washroom sign

Playtime

Mural

Fishing village

Fishing boats

Mountain panorama

Mountain shop

Boats in bay

Coastal arch

Creole Pot

Coca Cola in Castries

Castries street life

Dock ropeman

Dock ropeman and boat

Leaving St Lucia

   

 

Sunday 31 Jan : St Kitts

St Kitts. Woke up early and watched the frigate birds soaring without ever seeming to flap their wings. Apparently they never land, feeding by scaring other birds into dropping food.

Being Sunday, snorkel trip to Nevis was off, so took minibus tour of main island. Interesting history but by now depressingly common: former UK colony, decline of agricultural industry (here, it's sugar cane), rise in tourism, lots of poverty and people living in shacks. Lots of churches, too. Maybe promises for the next world compensates for a lack in this one. Still, people are friendly and industrious sellers.

Had lovely local fish lunch in rustic beach caff and headed back to usual dockside tourist retail bonanza and ship.

 

Morning sun

Morning sun

St Kitts island

Dock entry

Real beer

Live music

Nesting birds

Old church

Romney Manor Eleri

Romney Manor flamingos

Romney Manor flower tree

Romney Manor moss tree

Romney Manor batik lady

Romney Manor batik for sale

Romney Manor batik drying

Romney Manor beer lady

Romney Manor vegetation

Romney Manor tower

Bamboo pub

Bart Simpson rock

Craft stall

Black rock pub

Sugar refinery

People on beach

Beach cafe

Cyndi and sea

Small prick

Beach

Eleri

Rain at the beach

Tourist shops

Above and below

Dancers

Tourist bus

   

 

Monday 1 Feb : St Thomas

St Thomas. A much more developed island with lots of big houses and generally more western feel. Why? Because it's American. Steve and Terry have a timeshare here, so we all head off there in rental car, getting lost and circumnavigating the island in the process. Pleasant 'Margaritaville' resort, manicured to within an inch of its life. Even the private beach is raked daily.

Went to store to get drink. Drank drink. Took photos. Went snorkelling. Took more photos, including of lotsa iguanas. Tried to photo diving pelican but it was too quick. Darn. Lunched at Duffy's Love Shack.

Last evening on ship. Waiters danced on tables again. The cruise company is determined you are going to have Fun. Tearful goodbyes and promises to visit.

 

Above Charlotte Amalie

Charlotte Amalie panorama

Margaritaville

Margaritaville chairs

Margaritaville pool

Margaritaville pool

Margaritaville pool

Margaritaville pool

Margaritaville beach, Eleri and Terry

Margaritaville beach and Mullinixes

Margaritaville iguana

Margaritaville beach panorama

Margaritaville raked sand

Iguana on sand

Iguana head

Snorkelling fish

Snorkelling fish

Duffy's love shack

Lunch in Duffy's

 

 

Tuesday 2 Feb : San Juan, Puerto Rico

Disembark (though they called it 'debark'). Find taxi to hotel, then back into old San Juan. Hot, so slow strolling with plenty of coffee and beer/mojito stops. Pleasant, Mediterranean feel to the place. Even got big forty thing on promontory (much free) with seaside cemetery for those who can afford the marble statuary. Delicious local dish mofungo (one vegan, one chicken) for dinner.

 

San Juan sunrise

Plaza Colon (Columbus)

Coloured Buildings

Looking up

Church interior

Church mural

Balcony and tower

Main street

Side street

Bus

Bar and Eleri

Mojito door

Gallery guy

Chapel street

El Santo Cristo chapel

Pigeon corner

Parliament street

Arched reception

Church altar

Shady corner

Shady corner

Windows and wall

Pillar thing

Bird and leaves

Cemetery and lighthouse

Cemetery and sea

Cemetery entrance

Cemetery familia

Cemetery Jesus crosses

Cemetery Jesus cutout

Cemetery angel

Cemetery kneeler

Cemetery gateway

Cemetery cat window

Cemetery rotunda

Cemetery and watchtower

Fort name

Fort wall and cemetery

Fort watchtower

Walkers

Fort green

Arch and flags

Flag corner

Coastline

Statue

Statue and flags

Mural and car

Mofungo dinner

 

 

Wednesday 3 Feb

Time for last minute dash around before evening flight. Strolled around seaside walk outside walls, watching iguanas, lizards and snorkelers. Another beer at the Poet's cafe. Photographed gaily painted houses in upper old town. Final coffee in Berlin cafe then off to airport and dozy flight home. .....

Arrived ok. 10'C should be fine but it feels cold! Excitement on luggage carousel as bags jammed in exit as loads more arrived and spilled off into big pile. Of course ours was at the bottom of the carnage. Then train back to Guildford cancelled. No worries, got there OK and Hel picked us up. Then drive from her place home to Geraint and poochies!

 

Fountain and cloud

Fountain detail

Police Segway

Wallside spires

Fish in sea

Crab by sea

Wallside kiss

Watchtower and lamp

Tree and sweeper

Wallside jetty

Wallside walls

Wallside path

Wallside watchtower

Wallside Eleri

Watchtower crumbling

Sailing boat

Iguana and sea

Eleri and iguana

Lizard lecture

Arch colours

La Mallorquina

Townhouse

Sea street

Sea street

Shanty by sea

Palmas Rest

Empty airport terminal

 

 

 

 

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