Haloranch

No blog about a cruise would be complete without mention of the exquisitely presented food. On some days the choices were so tempting that it was too hard to choose just one. So some people at our table - I won't mention any names, but it wasn't me - ate 3 appetizers. This was sometimes followed by two entrees. Yes, self denial was not practiced here. Actually, all the men at our table were at one time or another guilty of multiple selections and on one memorable occassion, all six of us did it. That was lobster night. The menu said something like "lobster tail", not "tails". We all ordered it and we asked our waitress if we could each get an extra lobster tail. "No problem," she said and when our plates were delivered, there were in fact 2 lobster tails on each plate. "Excellent," said someone, "she already put them on the plate instead of bringing an additional one on the side." Two minutes later she showed up with, you g...

Two fabulous days in a row! First, a 45-minute drive from the capital city of St. George through the scenic hilly interior of the Grand Etang Rainforest Reserve to the Balthazar River. The river is nestled in the exotic and magnificent tropical rainforest. Quite a trip in itself. I couldn't help wondering just how steep this river was when our bus crested at 1900'. The roads are very twisty and heart-stoppingly steep. I don't remember ever having seen such steep grades. At the top of one hill, we were greeted by the unlikely sight of a Dickie Dee ice cream truck playing calliope music. Many houses are built on stilts due to the very steep terrain, and their clotheslines are under the house. Clever. It makes use of otherwise lost space and also protects the laundry from the frequent light showers. Oddly, no building in Grenada may be built higher than a coconut palm. Grenada is also knows as the Isle of Spice because it's the largest spice producing island in the ...

Today we swim with the turtles! I had forgotten that the busses here, just oversized vans really, have additional seats that fold into the aisles to maximize seating. A short ride later we arrived at our boat which would take us to the turtle site and we were instructed not to wear fins while snorkeling with the turtles so as not to hurt them. Our guides brought turtle food and in no time at all, there wre 3 giant turtles swimming around us. We were able to touch them though we were asked to keep our hands away from their faces. No problem. The fish food the turtles dropped quickly attracted a school of silvery white fish who fed on the remains, so we got a double visual treat. A half hour or so of this and we boarded the boat again to head for a sunken ship where we would snorkel with a variety of fish. In fact, there turned out to be thousands! Again, the guide fed them and fish of every colour swarmed him: black and yellow striped Sergeant Majors, lrge trumpet fish, slende...

Always pose next to something large like a cruise ship. Next to something that size, you're bound to look small. Fort-de-France is the capital of Martinique, an island of approximately 360,000. French is the official language and you could hardly miss that as all signs were posted in French. The first notable difference on this island is that the women are very stylish. They are also noticably distant, bordering on being unfriendly. The second is that it is very expensive here. Currently the island enjoys one of the highet standards of living in the Caribbean. Among its notable former residents was the future empress of France, Naoleon's wife Josephine who was born on Mortinique in 1763. Pau. Gauguin also lived and painted here in the late 1800's. St. Pierre used to be the island capital until it ws wiped out by the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902. Killed all 30,000 residents except one, who was in jail. The city itself isn't particulary attractive so we walked...

Hans, playing with his food. I am a voyeur. From the deck of the ship I sit and look at a bright array of umbrellas spread out below me. There's a constant flow of people accompanied by throbbing drums. It's overcast. The leaden clouds were excreting a lazy drizzle, more of a mist than a rain. There was an intermittent parade of clouds scudding across the sky interrupted by brilliant sun and spectacular double rainbows. Three rainbows framed the shore over the course of the day. In town, the sidewalks are chopped up blocks of cement filled with weeds and broken glass. Music blares from every doorway and like in Korea, if you have something to sell, park yourself on the sidewalk under a sunshade and peddle your wares. We walked to the Botanical Gardens where colourful birds twittered their welcome from the tops of every tree. The Gardens have huge spans of lawn which are cut with... weed whackers. Honest. We saw two men working the entire area with these inefficient lit...

So we're idly browsing around Antigua and talking about our upcoming river tubing tour. "I'm almost positive we booked for Dominica," I said to Hans, "so it will be fun to join Rocco, Pat, Clark and Deb." "I don't think it was Dominica," said Hans. "Could it be Antigua?" We stopped short and started at each other. We had been lulled into such a lazy state that when we first entered our cabin and saw the ticket for our upcoming tour, we never even checked it, just put it away. Out of our heads. Now, suddenly the thought that our tubing tour might be taking place even as we were sauntering through Antigua, we virtually sprinted back to the ship in breathless anxiety. "Thank God it's not Antigua!" I said as I looked at the ticket. "It's in Grenada. But I can't believe I would have booked us on an 8:00 a.m. tour. They obviously made a mistake," I insisted, disappointed we wouldn't be joining our fr...

This island is the reason we chose this particular itinerary. About 5 years ago we stopped here on another cruise and in addition to spending the day snorkeling at fabulous Brewer's Bay, our driver also took us to an old rum distillery which has been a family operation for over 200 years. It had the best rum Hans ever tasted. We only had enough money with us to buy one bottle and that bottle haunted Hans. This time, we were here to buy a case. With fins and snorkels in hand, we asked a cab driver to take us to Brewer's Bay first. "I will take you, but the water's so choppy you won't be able to snorkel," he says, eyeing our gear. Disappointed, we asked if there were any other areas where we could snorkel. "Not today," he replied. "The surf is too high but I'll take you to a beach and you can at least play in the water. And the rum distillery you're looking for is just up the road." He was certainly right about the surf. It po...

On our second day at sea, I was just sitting down to another Trivia Game when the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker. "You may have noticed that the ship has been speeding. We have a very sick passenger on board and we are hurrying to Tortola. We were expecting to have her helicoptered off the ship but she has been stabilized. However, she needs a blood transfusion. If you are O or A negative, please come down to the ship's hospital." I am lucky in that I am a universal donor, so off I went to give blood. In the end they didn't need mine, but later the captain thanked everyone and announced that the response from passengers was absolutely overwhelming. ___________ The day before our cruise ended, we had occasion to check out the ship's hospital ourselves. On a few occasions, Hans mentioned that he felt lightheaded and dizzy. That evening as we walked to our cabin after dinner he said, "I'm feeling a bit faint. I also briefly felt dizzy at ...

The Sea Princess was fabulous. The moment we boarded we could feel it in the air, a ship alive with the texture of possibilities. We brought back great memories. Oh, and six pounds. Where to start? This cruise was meant to be a relaxing holiday so we focused and relaxed. Extreme Relaxation: do nothing all day, then have a nap. That was us. It was so easy to get lulled into the easy pace of life on a cruise ship. A favourite passtime the first week was reclining on a lounge chair on the side deck watching the waves go by, book in hand. Ten minutes later the eyes grew heavy and we'd drift off to the Land of Nod. Our first night in the dining room we were seated in a section of 3 tables. Ours was a table for 8, at which we were the sole occupants. There was also a table for 6 with one couple and a table for 4 with another couple. Soon it became evident that no one was coming to fill the empty seats at any of our tables. "I feel like taking my glass of wine and going ov...

Very early this morning - 0730 - Hans and I picked up our neoprene booties and flippers to bring on the cruise. We have our own snorkels and masks so we're all set. I have a story about the neoprene booties. A few years ago we first rented snorkelling equipment to take along on our cruise. We're on St. Thomas and Hans had arranged to spend the day golfing. Favourite Dotter and I took a shuttle taxi to Coki Beach. Before we left the ship, we did as instructed and wore our neoprene booties in lieu of sandals. This was, after all, one of their advantages. You can walk with them on asphalt and beach sand and then when it's time to snorkel, you slip your bootie clad food into the flipper and voila, you're set to go. A cursory glance in the awkward mirror in our cabin showed that my blue cotton dress was long enough to just barely cover the tops of my booties which came about 4" up my leg. They're not very attractive and I muttered about it. But Favourite Dot...

I have a new car!! A brand spanking new white Prius. And it's made for directionally impaired people like me. It has a navigation system! Simply type in the address and voila - a display maps the way. How cool is that? I have been warned, though, that it's not always that up-to-date for Canada but if I were driving in the US, I wouldn't get lost. On the other hand, how often have I been lost with no navvy system to help out? Shame forbids me to be honest here. I have been known to pull over and phone Favourite Dotter and asking, "Where am I?" This too will now be easier since there's a built in phone! Of course I don't know how it works yet, but there's a cute little phone pad on the display panel. Somewhere thee's sure to be a mike that's picking up my voice. So the car not only has all the bells and whistles, it also has a phone! And a camera! See below for details... This really is an uber-cool feature... a teensy weensy camera i...

Next week at this time we'll be skimming the skies on our way to Ft. Lauderdale. But that's not all. Princess (no, not me. The cruise line) is putting us up in a 5 star hotel overnight and then we board the Sea Princess for 14 pampered days. Isn't life grand? The dining room food and service aboard a cruise line can only be compared to 5 star dining in the finest restaurants. It is mouth wateringly eye-appealing. And tasty to boot. Not for me the buffets on ship. No! No! I can eat from pretty looking buffets in my own town. On a cruise ship I allow myself to enjoy the exemplary service available in the dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can't wait. But, there is a price to pay. I'm paying some of it now as I hoof it up the stairs at the library. This is my training. If I start at the basement, there are 51 steps to the top floor and let me just say that when I get there my thighs are screaming in pain and I'm sucking air hard enough to ...

The holidays are over. Gone with them are the last of the decorations and the last of the company. Most of the pine needles have been vacuumed up, but a few always remain to serve as a reminder of good times gone by. And to pierce your foot. I love bringing out the decorations year after year. The earlier the better. But after Christmas, I am just as eager to get rid of them. Today, the house looks normal again. The fridge is nearly empty. All the whipping cream and nuts have been eaten, as evidenced by the tug of our clothes, and the remaining chocolates have been packed away to be enjoyed another day. The treadmill has been dusted off and waits for us. This first day of 2006 is pretty, with hoar frost glittering beneath a feeble sun. I see the cats play in the tree outside. They don't know there was a holiday season which has come and gone. They just know they have a delightful new toy.