12 March. After Catalina Island, we had an overnight to travel to Santo Domingo. I tried desperately to get a dive trip in, but everyone I contacted was fully booked. That was a bust. But it wasn’t a disaster. Perhaps we should take a day off. We decided that it would be a relaxing day.
George started the day by beginning to do our taxes. So much for relaxing. This of course meant that I needed to find all of the information for him and send it over to his computer. This would have been very easy if I were back in Boca as I have everything he needs in a folder. Here, it’s not that easy. I spent an hour with my older daughter in Illinois trying to work out how much we paid in property taxes for our homes there. Between a poorly designed system and internet that kept dropping it was an ordeal. Eventually I got him everything he wanted. I guess around one I must have pitched a bit of a hissy fit as he broke for lunch.
We went to the Terrace Café as usual and sat with some fellow passengers. After around an hour or so George and I returned to the room. He decided that it was time to go scoot. We headed off to the Mercado Modelo to do a bit of local 'shopping'. As always I was looking for liqueur and puzzles.
We found both! I also bought a tortoise shell belt and ring and a Larimar ring and necklace. It was a successful shopping trip and as George was tired and hadn’t had his afternoon nap when we returned to the ship. To be honest, the market must have been something thriving pre-covid but it has seen better days now. Add to that, the iffy neighborhood it was in and the 2 hours we spent there was more than enough.
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| The simplest of puzzles |
We did manage to go to the Christopher Columbus Square and to peak at the old cathedral. By the time we arrived, it was closed for mass.
We scooted back to the ship. I have to say, the roads in Santo Domingo really need work. Where we normally have man hole covers, they had massive holes. We had to really watch what we were doing so we didn’t lose the scooters down one of them.
When we returned, we tried the liqueur. I enjoyed it, but George didn’t. It was a rather dusty bottle that needed washing. The cream liqueur inside had congealed a bit and really had to be shaken up to be drinkable. I know my youngest will just love it.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We had dinner and slept. Oh, there was the view from the veranda. We were in probably one of the prettiest posts to date. We were overlooking the Alcázar de Colón built in the early 1500’s. It was later almost destroyed and was finally restored in the mid 1950’s. Our veranda overlooked a wonderful site.
13 March. When we awoke early in the morning, George and I agreed that we would go look at the palace across the road, but first the taxes. I’m thrilled to report that we did manage to get them signed, sent, and paid. Thankfully they were quite a bit less this year than they were last. But never mind that.
After the taxes were finished we walked across the road, paid the entrance fee and were given an audio recorder for the self guided tour. The building itself is made of coralline blocks (coral rock). It was originally built by Diego Columbus, the oldest son of Cristopher Columbus when he was governor of Hispaniola. There are 22 rooms in total, and while this is impressive, it originally had 55 rooms. Over 1/2 of it had been let go to ruin before it was restored. Warning: Photo heavy!
Inside there are many tapestries, art, and period piece furniture. If you get there, it is well worth the visit.
When we left, we walked along towards the museum, but part of our marriage contract was that we do NOT visit museums together. Churches are out too but this is for another day. We headed around the corner and came across a small flea market type area. We looked for the illusive puzzles, but as expected didn’t find any. I saw some locals sitting on a stoop drinking beer and it reminded me of my days at the beer bay in Honkers so we headed across the road and bought a beer to share. While heading in the shop, I noticed an artsy store next door so we decided to drink the beer back on the ship and headed to the shop next door.
I sat George down in the front of the shop to rest while I went in to look for puzzles. All the way to the back there was a liquor shop. I found another bottle of the cream liqueur that I liked, and a coconut rum bottle that looked interesting. The owner convinced me to try the Mamajuana and, of coursed to buy a bottle of that as well. This one is a bottle filled with bark and herbs, rum, red wine, and honey. It reminds me of Jägermeister without the bite. I also tried one that was just rum and honey. Needless to say, after the 5 shots I had in that shop I had no problem buying a few bottles. When we got back to the ship we realized the owner had snuck in a bottle of rum that I hadn’t asked for, but I’m sure it will get drunk eventually.
After the alcohol purchase, we headed back to the ship for lunch and a well deserved nap for my lover.
14 March. Another sea day. I woke at 7:00 for an 8:30 yoga class. Daylight savings time anyone? Duh! I felt foolish. We stay in bed until 11 when we went down to meet with the other divers on the ship. There were only 6 of us there. One was a girl we have dove with and her husband. The other two ladies wanted to say hi. One wouldn’t go with us because she’s snobbish about where she dives and the upcoming stops are not acceptable to her. (Her words, not mine.) The other is a nurse and justifiably didn’t want to because if something were to happen to her, her friend would be alone. No matter, it was nice to meet others.
We then grabbed our card bag and went to lunch. After lunch we had a card game with Jim and Shari again. We really enjoy playing with them. We won this game, but I’m sure they will get us on the next one. That is the joy of playing. You never know when you’ll win and when you’ll get skunked. The game we play is called "Hand, Knee, and Foot" which is one part skill and 5 parts luck.
I then went downstairs to ask a few questions at the destinations desk while George went to the room to nap. I decided to grab an ice coffee so I stopped at Baristas. When I got upstairs, I saw George laying on the floor outside the room working a puzzle. He had forgotten both his key and his phone in the room. Silly man.
At 4 I went up for a massage and a facial. It was a pleasant hour. So much so I bought a package of 5 more. I’m sure I’ll get another package when this one is done, but I decided to go on the low side just in case we don’t make it ALL THE WAY. Which by the way is the new name for this cruise. It’s no longer AROUND THE WORLD, it’s ALL THE WAY. Cute ha?
This evening there was another Oceania Club round of drinks and awards. I tried a drink called Purple Rain. Fruity and colorful.
After dinner we retired to the room for the night. Tomorrow is Jamaica.
15 March. Port Antonio, Jamaica. I set the clocks to the correct time last night so we woke at 7:30 as planned for an 8:15 start. Jamaica is a bubble port which means unless you are on a tour you can’t get off the boat. We opted for the morning session of the bamboo boat rafting on the Rio Grande.
When we arrived, I went to the loo and George wandered off. I found him watching a man build one of the rafts we were to go on. It was actually pretty cool. I noticed that they tied off each piece of bamboo much like the workers tied off the rebar in our pool when they were repairing the decking.
These boats were originally banana boats that were used to take the harvest downriver to the town. Reportedly, Errol Flynn asked to have a seat put onto one so he could court ladies along the river.
I have to say, we loved it! This was the best excursion we have been on yet. It was Nature at her most beautiful. Words cannot describe it so I hope the photos will. Again, there are a lot.
Our guide Randi was excellent. He answered all of my silly questions and even gave us a bit of information we didn’t ask for. It was a morning well spent. I would highly recommend it for anyone coming here. This excursion is pure heaven. This is a long blue-green ribbon of some of the clearest water I have ever seen. The bottom in parts is up to 40 feet deep, but the majority of it is just a few feet. As we sat back in our boat, it is one of the most romantic spots I have ever been in. The only sounds we hear are those of the rustling wind, a bellow of a cow every now and again, the gurgling of the rapids, and the scraping of the oars on the pebbled bottom of the river. This serenity is only interrupted occasionally by the sounds of our own voices.
As with any tourist place, we had vendors trying to sell us stuff. In this case it was some flowers in the middle of the river.
At one point, I asked if I could swim. He said of course and we told him to let me know where a good spot was. He pulled off at a local 'bar' and I dove in. We didn’t want a beer because we both had one and didn’t need another so early in the day. But we did buy 3 bottles of rum punch from him. I’m sure my brothers-in-law will love them. The name just tickled us. OVERPROOF rum :) By the way, this bar was just a small wooden shack called "Big Rock Bar" where the jungle meets the river. When the proprietor sees the rafts coming he sets up a small table in front of a hand painted sign reading "Bar".
Back to Errol Flynn; at one point, our guide took us into lovers lane. This was a narrow passageway of stone along the side of the river. Legend has it if you kiss your lover and make a wish here it will come true. Mine certainly has.
One of the sights we saw along the river was a woman digging for mussels in the river. We were told they are used for soup. The things were tiny. What a hard way to get your dinner. In the interest of modesty, I won’t post a photo. The lady had on a snorkel, and was using her shirt to hold the mussels. As such, her breasts were hanging out in the water. Not that that is a big deal, but just use your imagination.
We returned to the van to go back to the ship. Along the way we were told that people are granted a chunk of land to build on. They start with a box, move in as soon as they can, then build around the initial box as they have the money for it. There seems to be extremes in the housing. Some are dirt poor, others are filthy rich.
Around 80% of the people on the island descended from former slaves, if I understood our guide correctly, with the other 20% of the locals being of mixed descent. There is still a thriving Maroon population here with around 600 people. We were also told that the people, while poor, are hard working and will do anything to earn a living. Many sell fruits and vegetables by the roadside. Permits are required for this, but they are very inexpensive.
Tomorrow is another sea day and I will attempt to get the forms filled in for Bermuda in the morning before heading to a ladies lunch. Other than yoga at 8:30, I have nothing more energetic planned at all. I do love sea days.
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