land ho'

...we are on our way home now.

this has been a very unique experience on a lot of levels. i have tried my best to keep you all up-to-date with what has and has not happened on this voyage.

i'm going to "sample" some pix that many people aboard have been kind enough to share via "public folders".

you know how it goes: a picture is worth a thousand words...

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one - Dr. Seuss

dominican republic

...is the final island nation that we will visit on this trip.

today, we went to see a natural wonder here -- Cueva de las Maravillas (Cave of Miracles); i have my doubts that it will be added to the "new seven wonders of the world", but who knows? the caves feature stalactites and stalagmites as well as some ancient Taino cave drawings. the museum is considered a national treasure and as such, military police are posted to ensure that the grounds are well respected by locals and visitors alike.

there were bats that flew about over head; but well enough away that they did not collide with us. the air was cooler here. and that was a welcome break from what has been mostly very warm conditions. at least, warm by my standards. still quite humid, even though we were in caves.

the footpaths are completely lighted with motion sensors that activate when movement is detected. another well-considered feature is the presence of handrails throughout the path that winds through the caves.

the museum did not allow any photographs to be taken; and most of us respected that stipulation. of course, there are those people who just could not observe what they were instructed to do or not do as the case may be. maybe that is where pictures on google come from?

sugar cane was another big cash crop on this island as has been the case on the others we have visited (once built on the backs of slave labor). it remains a viable source of income for the dominican republic and so, it is still produced here. textiles, coffee, ferronickel, cacao, tobacco, meats and medical supplies are the other exported goods.

spanish is the national language and there are people from all walks of life here. but predominantly, the population is of mixed background--african origin mixed with all sorts of other races. we were surprised to learn that during world war II, many fleeing nazi europe were able to begin new lives here. accounting for a very small, but still, present population observing a religion other than roman catholicism.

so pronounced is the roman catholic religion (95%) here that during pope john paul II's tenure, at least two papal visits occurred.

there are over 9 million people that make up this island nation. tourism accounts for the majority of their economy.

as we sail away today to begin our return to fort lauderdale, palms sway in the gentle breeze bidding us hasta la vista.

A place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain - Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

st. croix

...one of the three US virgin islands.

this island, like most of the caribbean islands we have visited is surrounded by turquoise blue water and sandy beaches. the air is clean and this is just but one of the marked differences between here and the continental united states of america.

the united states president (currently barack obama) is the head of state here; there is a local governor and a legislature to administrate the islands. by the way, i know i mentioned it early on in this blogging i've been doing--but, it is worthy of repeating: the world is very excited about our new president--even this US held territory. again, as was the case in all of the caribbean countries we've seen, carib indians were the first inhabitants of this place. their mark is still here though they are not.

today our adventures included driving through the rainforested areas of st. croix; we visited a very impressive botanical garden--St. George Village botanical garden. finally i have seen what a pineapple plant looks like in its early stages; bromeliads and orchids clinging to trees in abundance; cashew nut pods that had fallen off the trees. this garden sits on land that was once a working plantation. as was the case on almost every island, sugar cane was the big cash crop. but that money maker came to a crashing end when it was discovered how to make sugar from sugar beets. nonetheless, the "ruins" as they were referred to stand as a testament to the tremendously hard work that it took to produce crops that would translate into commerce. hard work performed in large measure by the enslaved peoples that were brought here.

but as karma would have it, the ancestral suffering did not go in vain if you ask me--with most of the islands being dominated by people of african descent, it would seem only fair that it worked out this way. on st. croix, the ethnic mix is a little more even tho--black/native east caribbean immigrants (our driver was of french extraction by way of another island--guadeloupe, a french held territory); there are white and hispanic peoples here as well.

another stop we made today was to the Lawaetz Family museum. this family came from denmark. the museum is actually the former home of the family the museum is named for. our guide was the widow of a grandson (perhaps great grandson) of the original owner. the home was built in the 18th century; there are trees on the property that are well over 200 years old. again, orchids and bromeliads clinging to every limb. it was a sugar plantation originally; the family history traces the conversion to a dairy ranch. the home has been occupied by descendants of this pioneer from denmark for the past 100 years.

the home was furnished in all kinds of items that have survived time and natural disasters. the four poster beds were but one of the most noteworthy mentions. the beds were elevated to a height that would allow breezes from the windows to cool the rooms as they can be so uncomfortably warm (read=sticky) in the west indies. mosquito nets surround the beds. indoor plumbing was not part of the picture at this time, but, that did not stop clever cabinet makers from fashioning a very lovely piece of furniture that was both functional and fashionable ... concealing its true purpose quite well.

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover is yourself - Alan Alda

christopher columbus

...sure did get around. and he named this island after his favorite saint we were told: st. christopher.

the name was changed later to st. kitts. and the neighboring island of nevis was also named by columbus and later changed. columbus named it for the "snowy" appearance of the mountain tops that were covered in clouds most of the time. again, these islands are also the result of tremendous volcanic activity that produced land masses many, many years past.

the island was battled over by the french and the english. they fought the carib indians separately, initially; then teamed up and sadly, massacred the last remaining indigenous people into extinction. after successfully killing the islands first inhabitants, the two nations struggled for control of this place some more. and so, there are distinct areas on the island that are named in french and english, respectively still today. the people of st. kitts won their independence from the english in 1983. their soil is rich and able to produce many crops -- more so than the other caribbean islands we have visited.

the population of the island is primarily of african heritage but there is some presence still of british ancestry; portuguese and lebanese. english is the language spoken here. but with a dialect that is characteristic of the caribbean. the literacy rate here is quite high--98%.

st. kitts happens to also be home to a prestigious veterinary school that is widely attended by american students and others alike. we're told that a graduate of this school can return to the US and immediately begin their practice without any difficulty in having the curriculum/credentials qualified. fully transferable in other words. education is a pretty big deal here.

our excursion for this day consisted of a picturesque train ride on the last narrow-gauge railway on this island. as the wheels squeaked along, announcing our arrival through each small township, the locals flocked to their doorways to bid us their greetings. the narrator of our trip must know everyone on the island--they all greeted her with grand aplomb.

while aboard this lovely double-decker train, air-conditioned on the lower cars, we were treated to homemade cookies made of sugar cane, coconut, almonds and gooey goodness; beverages that included a caribbean favorite "rum punch"; and last but surely not least, we were serenaded by the crew. our ticket collector had worked on this train since he was a boy--now a retired train engineer, he simply greets everyone and makes one feel welcomed. think wal-mart, only way more tropical.

along the way, we cannot help but be awestruck by the turquoise waters that surround the island and the gentle waves that wash across the peaceful sandy beaches. our conductor/narrator tells us that her husband proposed to her on one of these quiet, secluded beaches. there is no doubt that the ocean and her many seductive powers influenced our guide's affirmative "action".

we pass the ruins of once profitable sugar mills and their respective historical importance cannot be denied; the legacy of slavery as terrifying and disturbing as it is, is something that the people of st. kitts promise to always remember. indeed, there are still some plantation properties that remain and are now operated as luxurious lodging.

and as has been the case throughout the islands of the caribbean that we have visited, the ancestors of once enslaved peoples, dominate st. kitts. indeed, the meek did inherit this little piece of earth.

through this lens, it would seem to this humble observer, that at least in the end, some measure of justice prevailed.

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun - Katharine Hepburn

wow-wow

...whale!

finally we have arrived in dominica--and by all accounts, the whale watching place of the caribbean--the water is ideal for their purposes and the abundance of food is what brings them here. dolphins also frequent these waters and today did not disappoint.

honestly, the chance to observe whales/dolphins and to see the vast amazon, were the two big deals for me on this journey. our day started out a bit slow with procedural delays caused by immigration. but maybe, had we not been delayed, we would not have found ourselves in the midst of three sperm whales. sperm whales are some of the largest whales on earth. dwarfed by the blue whale which we have learned is the biggest of all whales. perhaps the biggest mammal on earth if i recall correctly.

dominica, the island itself, is in fact the result of volcanic activity. in 1998, Morne Trois Pitons National Park was named by UNESCO as a world heritage site. the park includes: five volcanoes, three lakes, and more than 50 hot springs. we were told that the highest peak on dominica measure 3,000 ft and in addition, that the depth of the sea surrounding the mountain is equal.

our boat operator and his assistant were proficient in their duties and even managed to attend to such pedestrian matters such as refreshments all the while searching for whales that we might observe. their boat was equipped with a device that was lowered into the waters so that they could detect where whales might be. an unfair advantage for humans--but, in this case, i couldn't have been happier that they had "good" vibes.

another good indicator of whales being in the area--the other boats were charging ahead as if they were driving on solid ground. the boats have to work very hard to catch up to the whales and dolphins. though the dolphins came close, very close to the boat. almost like a dog-sled they escorted us through the waters.

suddenly we see "spouts"; small disturbances on the waters surface. oh boy! we see the water being sprayed up through the whales blowhole. it is beyond thrilling.

our experts tell us that they believe the whales we are seeing to be female because their "spray" was smaller. additionally, they make an entirely different level of noise than the males. the males make a louder sound that can be detected by their equipment.

we get closer and finally, we are able to see part of the body of this great giant. try as i did, i doubt i get a clear shot of the beautiful creature. and there is very little time to recalibrate and try again. suffice to say, my eyes will serve as the best camera i could have.

quickly, the time at the surface for this whale has passed and now it is time to go back below. their bodies are engineered in such a way that they can remain submerged for up to an hour or more. although we are not fortunate enough to observe a full breach, the body dips down into a diving position and before you know it, the tail makes an appearance. we get to see a real whale in the wild, and its perfect "fluke".

so exhilarating was this that i could have easily have spent the entire day on the water. just waiting for additional sightings if only that were possible. we were lucky though. we saw three of these "godesses". i feel very happy ... this was something i have longed to do and to see, for a very long, long time.

Travel is ninety percent anticipation and ten percent recollection - Edward Streeter

port of spain

...trinidad is a lush caribbean island that is teeming with all kinds of life.

today our adventures took us to the Asa Wright Nature Centre. here we were treated to quite an assortment of birds. there are over 30 varieties of hummingbirds here.
to get here though, we traveled about two hours by bus. the highway we took is called "churchill-roosevelt". named for the two distinguished leaders of england and the US. this island nation was a very important strategic staging base for allied troops in the second world war.as we made our way, we passed lots of industry. the port immediately allows one to understand that a lot of commerce is underway here. but who would have guessed that "membership" stores would be here?
the government is parliamentary democracy and this island nation won its independence in august of 1962 from the UK. english is the official language; french, spanish and chinese are also spoken here--as well as caribbean hindustani (a dialect of hindi). the literacy rate here is over 98%. there are nearly 2 million people here -- between the two islands of trinidad and tobago. while these are considered developing nations, one thing is clear--they are gaining in prosperity due in large measure to petroleum and natural gas on the islands.

our driver, addison, gave us loads of information about the beginnings of this country. brought us up to speed on where things stand today. and even managed to make some remarks about "female therapy" centers (shopping malls) that would more than likely have been expected to be uttered by an american man.

our drive to the nature centre took us through an amazing rainforested area--so, so lush; there are 365 rivers on trinidad--one for every day of the week. over 300" of rain falls on trinidad each year. today was no exception. although we were told that generally speaking, the rain stops in december. we saw many butterflies and orchids along the way up the hill to the centre. trinidad boasts 622 species of butterfly and some 700 species of orchid. impressive termite mounds are attached to many of the trees and it seems that there is a beneficial symbiotic relationship taking place between the tree and the termite. without the termites, the trees would become far too heavy and would likely topple over in the drenched hillsides. the termites eat just enough of the tree to keep it "lighter". and in this 

case, that is a good thing we were told.

the nature centre was once the estate of Asa Wright. she was a very wealthy woman and built the home as a residence. it is now used as a center for visitors--and people can even stay there as overnight guests...for a price of course.

from the veranda, we were able to observe many, many colorful birds feasting upon foods that were placed out for them. hummingbirds even paused to allow us the opportunity to capture their image. the hospitality offered was impressive: hot tea/coffee/chocolate; comfortable sitting chairs; umbrellas and walking sticks were provided for the nature walk.about the time we were beginning our walk, the sky opened up and decided to rain. a light rain this time. along the way, our guide pointed out trees and plants of the forest. she even told us that if we found a termite mound, she would look for some termites to eat! and her word was good. we did happen upon a termite mound and she did poke a bit to find some termites. she told us they are eaten quite normally here on trinidad. according to her, they taste like carrots--but are in fact, a source of protein. she made sure all of us could see the termite before putting it in her mouth. she chomped down the first one; then instructed on proper termite eating. i won't be finding out the right or wrong way to eat a termite. i'll leave that to the trinidadians.

after traversing the path as long as i could, i decided it would be best to turn back toward the center and return. just then, the sky opened up again. this time, full force. lots of rain. drenched is the word that comes to mind. i stepped as gingerly as possible to get back to our starting point--wary to not topple over myself and not to disturb too many of the army ants that toil away endlessly on the forest floor. those buggers bite--and of course, i got bit in spite of my best efforts. but this was a small price to pay for this very color-filled adventure.

The traveler was active: he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive: he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight seeing" - Daniel J. Boorstin, American author

on the sea again

...just can't wait to get on the sea again. why?

because we're goin' whale and dolphin watching in two days!

we'll stop in trinidad first. and the bird centre promises to be amazing. but, i'm really looking forward to the chance to see some whales in dominica.

onboard today there is very little to tell you about.

suffice to say, the anticipation of our arrival in dominica is the thing keeping me "afloat".

We must educate people today for a future in which the choices to be faced cannot be anticipated by even the wisest among us now - John F. Kennedy