Aboard the Star Flyer: Grenadines and Grenada

We said our ‘goodbyes’ to the excellent staff of Adulo Apartments.  Roger picked us up on schedule for the short drive to the ship terminal near Bridgetown for the 4 p.m.  embarkation; a long and hot procedure involving the individual processing of each passenger, 127 in all, including photos for our identification cards.  This gave us adequate time to meet several of our fellow shipmates.  We are a multi-national group, with an age range average of 50-70, with a few younger and some agile 80+ year olds.

Docked for departure from Barbados

Orientation by the Tropical Bar

The Star Flyer was an impressive sight docked alongside the pier.  As we boarded cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served.  We wandered around admiring the casual elegance of the ship’s appointments.   Our stateroom is conveniently located on the Clipper Deck, near the dining room, and only one level down from the Tropical Bar and sun-decks.  Peter, our cruise director, gave a welcome orientation and introduced the staff.

 Dinner is served between 8-10 p.m.  There are several courses starting with appetizers, then soup and salads, and finishing with a selection of desserts. Our first night’s entrees included rack of lamb, duck breast, and a salmon fillet.  Baskets of bread and bottles of wine were plentiful.  It soon became quite evident that the meals were first class and the service excellent and personal. 

At 10 p.m. the sail-raising ceremony begins with all hands on deck and the music of "1492" filling the air as the sails are hoisted.  Our 22 day voyage aboard the Star Flyer begins as we head out for an overnight sail to the Grenadines.  Our room is very spacious, especially by motorhome standards.  The head and shower is much larger than we are used to and beautifully appointed.  The large porthole offers us a fabulous view of the Caribbean Sea and islands as we pass, though who spends much time in the room when aboard a boat like this!

Raising the sails

Participation not mandatory!

The Grenadines are a chain of approximately 600 small islands, with St. Vincent as the main island.  We anchored off Captain's Best Beach on Union Island.  Soon the ship's tender started ferrying guests to shore for an afternoon of swimming, snorkeling and water sports.

Arriving Grenadines

Tender takes us ashore

An afternoon of water sports

The Star Flyer presents a beautiful picture at anchor as we head back from shore!

As we weighed anchor, leaving for Grenada, this beautiful sunset presented itself!

A quick note might be appropriate here:  not all internet connections are created equal and some are quite expensive, as in the ship's wifi costing 20 Euros for 3 hours, and often quite slow.  I would like to go into more detail on island history, especially Grenada, with its lush tropical landscape and spices, and the US involvement in the 1980s...so please click on the link for more information.  I will concentrate on uploading photos that we took while on a 2 1/2 hour driving tour, seeing most of Grenada's highlights.

St. George's...the main town

We had a great demonstration at one of the spice farms

Taken from the French Fort Frederick, at the highest driving point

There are many waterfalls...this in Annandale

The Carenage or boat harbor

We're off for Isla Margarita and Isla Blanquilla, islands of Venezuela.  I opted not to go ashore for the few hours of snorkeling as my ankles are covered in bites from the sand fleas I encountered on the Grenadines, where the Mangrove trees are famous for harboring this vicious no-see-ums!

Summer planning...

During these dog days of summer when our travels slow to a snail's pace, ebbing and flowing like a wimpy tide, our minds wander to far off places.  We pull out maps then do the inevitable internet search and find...tada... The World's 8 Best Places to Retire in 2014:

1. Coronada, Panama~~Monthly budget $1800, rent $600
2. Languedoc, France~~Monthly budget $2300, rent $800
3. Ambergris Caye, Belize~~Monthly budget $2000, rent $800
4. Cuenca, Ecuador~~Monthly budget $1300, rent $500
5. Chiang Mai, Thailand~~Monthly budget $1100, rent $400
6. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico~~Monthly budget $2000, rent $700
7. Granada, Nicaragua~~Monthly budget $1300, rent $500
8. Medellin, Colombia~~Monthly budget $1800, rent $500

Our studio apt. is part of Villa Delfin

Wow, this stoked our curiosity big time and got us to thinking we might try a month in one of these locations.  We've started to experiment with life outside the motorhome, spending a month in an apartment or condo in foreign locations, like last year's trips to Roatan, Honduras in February, and April's drive down to San Carlos, Mexico. 

We walked down the hill to the beach

We've been to Ambergris Caye and Puerto Vallarta a few times so want to try something different. The Languedoc has always fascinated me since reading The Narrow Dog to Carcassonne and Thailand bodes mysterious and enchanting.  Alas, these locations will have to wait for another year perhaps.

View from our 13th floor San Carlos condo balcony

We had brief stops in Cartagena, Colombia and Panama on our Tall Ship cruise aboard the Star Flyer in 2011, and would like to eventually spend more time on Panama's west coast.  We narrowed our choices down to Granada or Cuenca in countries we've not visited in the Americas.  Next we checked out accommodations on Vacation Rentals By Owner and found both locations very reasonable.  We've also learned over the years that owners are usually amenable to negotiation, especially for extended stays such as a month.  

An overview of San Carlos, MX

I guess in the end our choice of Granada might have been simply its proximity.  Plus the owners live in Vermont and responded to our many questions and did offer us a sweet deal for the month of October.  Here is the web site with photos and overview of our "intown" Granada condo.  We chose the 1 bedroom, lower level, end unit with the infinity pool right out our door.  Croissants, Nicaraguan coffee, and fresh fruit each morning will be a bonus!

Though a couple of hours drive to the Pacific, Granada is situated along the shores of Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca), the 10th largest lake in the world.  Nearby is the now dormant Mombacho Volcano that blew its top and now forms a lake with the 365 Islets of Granada.  Transportation is cheap so we expect to do much sightseeing.  I envision most early mornings and late afternoon/evenings strolling the short distance into el centro for dining experiences and seeing the sights of this oldest colonial city in Latin America which was founded in 1524, just 9 years before Cartagena.  

Before signing off I should say....No, we're not planning on retiring anywhere at this time and surely not in one place, and not outside the USA, but extended periods of travel in some of these locations does hold a lot of fascination.  And...we have another wonderful motorhome trip planned for August and September! 

Jaco, Costa Rica

We said our goodbyes to fellow passengers and crew aboard the Star Flyer and disembarked by tender at Puerto Caldera at about 9:30 a.m.  Here we were met by a large group of taxis and van drivers, where we negotiated our fare to Jaco, about an hour's drive south along the Pacific, for a whopping $100 for the 4 of us...too high we later find out!

According to our US State Department, Costa Rica is a middle income, developing country with a strong democratic tradition, with extensive and generally adequate tourist facilities.  Jaco is surely representative of a laid-back, bustling beach town that caters mostly to tourists and a weekend crowd of Costa Ricans, characteristic of the 1970s era; nice, accommodating but in need of some maintenance.  The locals were all nice and very helpful and Spanglish became the language of choice.

Our condo had been reserved well in advance from Vacation Rentals by Owner.  It was inexpensive and had our minimum requirements....bedroom, bathroom, with a kitchen/dining/living room combo.  This allowed us to stock some food and beverages and fix a meal, especially coffee, if needed.  The owner/rep, Bob Johnson, lived on the premises and made sure we had everything, including free wifi.

The town, beach, and all the restaurants were just a short walk from our place and taxis anywhere in town were 750 colones, or $1.50.  Out first night's dinner was at a local sport's bar where we were treated to great Tico food which usually consists of a choice of fish, chicken, or pork with rice, black beans, salad, and fried bananas...and the super bowl of Costa Rican soccer games between the Alajuela and Saprissa teams on large flat screen TVs.  The air was electric with the excitement of so many people cheering on their favorite team.  A good introduction to the local scene.

The beaches were just OK; not conducive for swimming or overly attractive by Caribbean standards.  The surfing apparently is good as there were a lot of kids toting surf boards.  We had no desire to do any more sight-seeing and the days were just too oppressively hot and humid to spend much time outside other than early mornings and late afternoons.  At 5 pm you could practically set your watch for a major downpour of rain, which usually lasted an hour or so. This was perfectly timed for our walk to dinner!

So we did little but relax, recuperate, read, get caught up on photos and updating this blog, and of course, many SKYPE calls to family.  We reflected on this fantastic voyage we were blessed to experience.  As good friend, George, said:  Another item checked off the bucket list!  Amen to that....  Thursday, Dec.1st, we returned to Sacramento and our much-missed little motorhome.  Every time we fly we think, never again.  Nasty, awful, crowded, sick, and uncomfortable are the adjectives that come to mind.  We will be very content to be in our beautiful Anza Borrego Desert very soon after Christmas!  In the meantime, we are having a much-needed family fix.  Love and best wishes to all...

Around Jaco!

The beach

This beautiful parrot lived in the trees by a restaurant where we dined

Iguana out for a stroll

Haircut with Bob Marley and friends

The town

Two Days in Barbados

But first there was the two-day flight from hell; Sacramento to Chicago to Toronto.  Wrong direction you say...that would be affirmative.  And all flights were delayed so our 11:30 p.m. arrival in Toronto turned into 1 a.m., and by the time we got to our hotel bedtime became 2 a.m....with a wake-up call at 6 a.m. to get back to the airport.  The Air Canada non-stop flight to Barbados was quite comfortable and a little over 5 hours making our arrival about 2:30 p.m. local time.

Adulo Apartments

Tropical flowers

Our balcony has a tiny view

Everything was fast and efficient:  checking in through customs and immigration, all baggage arrived, a driver procured for our drive to our accommodations, the Adulo Apartments. Here we met up with friends, Dalya and Paul, who had just arrived from Seal Beach, CA, via New York to Barbados on Jet Blue...much more civilized.  Our location is quite well-located with easy access to Rockley Beach, numerous restaurants and shops.

Rockley Beach, near our apartment

With a gnarly old tree

A colorful background for modeling Howard's new "Jammin in Barbados" hat

The Adulo staff are very knowledgeable, fun and accommodating.  We stocked up on wine and snacks for happy hour, then walked to nearby Shakers, highly recommended, though from the outside you would not be very impressed with either the setting or the alley-like location.  The fresh caught fish of the day, either Marlin or Kingfish, was excellent.  We went back the following night.

The apartment staff arranged an island tour for Saturday afternoon.  Roger, tour guide extraordinaire, picked us up at 1 p.m. in his large air-conditioned van and 5 hours later delivered us back, complete with the most spectacular sunset, and totally overwhelmed with the beauty, history and island facts, and hundreds of photos to edit. Barbados is worth checking out...starting with this link.  A multitude of photos to follow:

Banks, the national beer...so good on a hot day!

Several cruise ships in but don't see our Tall Ship!

Lots of old churches

Th parliament building in Bridgetown

The Cricket Stadium

Chattel houses are original plantation workers' homes

Sea inlet at the northwest end of the island

Us and The View, probably the most spectacular scenery of the day

Our guide says these are black-bellied sheep...looks like goats to me!

Paul photographing mushroom rocks on the Atlantic side

This sunset greeted our return

Our tour started from the southwest end of the island and headed north along the west coast through the capital of Bridgetown, then Holetown, Speightstown, and up to the spectacular views at North Point.  We continued on around through the cane fields and pastures, dotted with small settlements, on the sparsely populated Atlantic side to Bathsheba and Ragged Point, then returned.

Clicking on Web Albums, above left-side, will bring you to even more photos.  We're off to board the Star Flyer....Let's hope for good internet aboard!

Island fever...

Thinking back to our cruise on the tall ship, Star Flyer, in November 2011, by the third week I was beginning to feel somewhat cloistered and anxious, tired of all the eating and activities.  Now seems to be no exception.  Maybe, once again, the Rule of Threes is taking control.  My gut brain seems to be wired directly to the pain in my neck; quite uncomfortable at times.  When I make up my mind to work through it, all seems better.  But still...

We actually checked into changing our flight time to Tuesday, the 26th, the day we return the car, but that whole process would cost over $500.  I need to focus on meditation and what I know to be true:  If I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change...Wayne Dyer.  

So...what better way for an attitude adjustment than to go out and explore the few remaining areas we've yet to see on the island .  Back to the East End we go, this time to Oak Ridge, on the Leeward (calm and less windy) side of the island, and known as the "Venice" of Roatan because of its boat-oriented transportation.

Oak Ridge, the "Venice" of Roatan..

Then on to Punta Gorda, also on the East End, but on the opposite or Windward side.  Punta Gorda is the oldest settlement in Roatan, founded in 1797 when Garifuna deportees from the Caribbean Island of San Vicente were stranded here by the British.  The Garifuna community continue their slow, happy lifestyle, cayucos pulled onto the beach, residents moving at a slow, deliberate pace.  Such a peaceful, simple setting...

Laundry day by the sea, in Punta Gorda..

Not a particularly good photo, but one of my favorites!  I have entitled it the "Lone Mangrove Tree"!

Taking advantage of our car, expensive though it is, we traversed the island via a questionable dirt road, from south to north, up and over the mountain at an elevation gain of a steep 1000 feet from sea level.  We had set out to visit the Blue Harbor Plantation where the very best greens are grown hydroponically.  We had first purchased them at our favorite, also expensive, Super Market, Eldon's.  We have to be reminded that nearly everything has to be shipped in!

Hydroponically grown greens, taken through a screen at Harbor Blue Plantation

Looking at our somewhat sketchy map, Howard says... it looks like this road continues on to the main highway.  And yes it did; steep, dirt, rutted...Perhaps an hour later without the benefit of our trusty jeep and 4-wheel drive, we safely arrived in French Harbor...hungry!

What are we thinking?...This is no Jeep!

View from the top!

But first, we drove through the second largest city on the island, and got completely lost in all the narrow one-way streets...

Yet another turn-around in French Harbor...

Finally, after turning off on another questionable road, we found a great lunch spot at French's 44 Key!  Ahhh...happy campers with an attitude adjustment, indeed!

Ride to French Key

French's 44 Restaurant

Ahhh.....