Familiar Face

So my exciting news to report for now is that I’ve been to South America. I didn’t actually set foot in Venezuela, but I did see it from the ship. Unfortunately I actually had to work the day we were in La Guaira and was going to get off the ship for an hour with my Spanish speaking friend Jumari, but when we went to get off the security wanted to know where our day passes were. Apparently we have to have a day pass to enter Venezuela and the passes were in our supervisor’s office. By the time we figured all of this out we only had about 20 minutes before we needed to be back on the boat, so I’ll have to wait until next time to see Caracas. From what I saw off La Guaira, it is a very poor area. The houses were in shambles practically falling off the mountains and there were garbage piles spilling over the mountain as well. I’ve tried posting pictures, but haven’t had success so far. I guess I’ll have to devote one of my days to finding better internet access instead of going to the beach – what would you do if you were me? Beach or internet?!!

Yesterday we were in Grenada and I enjoyed that island, but not as much as Grand Turk. The town was nice, but the minute I stepped of the ship I was bombarded with people wanting to show me around town or give me a taxi ride. I wandered up to Fort George, which I think was important during the U.S. invasion back in the 80’s, but I’m not positive. I did end up getting suckered to give money by a peddler at Fort George. He was a very nice man and had trinkets that he was selling, so I gave in and supported the local economy. After this I went to Grand Anse beach in a water taxi and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. I did upset all the beach hawkers, because I refused a chair and drinks – everybody seems to want my money – go figure!

Today, I’m back in Barbados and gearing up for another lap around the Caribbean. We go to a few different islands than the last cruise so I’ll have some new experiences. Today was nice because I was able to catch up with a former co-worker from the CU Concerts Office. Mark, the graphic designer, now lives in Barbados and took me down to the beach and we had drinks and doubles. Doubles are a West Indies cuisine consisting of 2 flat bread stuffed with curried chickpeas and pepper sauce. Very tasty! Mark is going to take me to the east coast of Barbados the next time I’m in port – which is 2 weeks. It’s always nice to see a familiar face! Well, I’m off to finish my laundry and get some dinner. Tonight’s the bands night off, so I can rest from all the hard work I’ve put in the past few weeks. (Wink, wink!)