Saturday, April 3rd
At 6:00 am, we pulled into our last port, Aruba, gliding to a stop right in front of Senor Frog's bar and disco. Aruba is really a party town; kind of the Caribbean version of Cancun. Since there didn't seem to be much to see on a walking tour, we decided to spend our last "real" day snorkling on De Palm Island.
The south coast of Aruba had a number of barrier islands about a thousand yards off shore, with a lagoon between the island and "real" Aruba island. Many of these have been developed as "day resorts". Like a real resort but with no overnight accommodations.
That's what De Palm Island is. Our bus right from the pier took us through town and past the airport down to the power plant. South of the power plant we boarded and open boat and motored out to the island.
The island is an "all inclusive" day resort. You get free snorkel gear, free bannan-boat rides. There's a water park with slides for the kids. If you want to pay extra, you can go on a SeaTrek in a dry suit with an old-fashioned diving helmet. (You walk along the sea-bed on a hike). The have beach chairs and umbrellas as well as free drinks and free food.
We went for the snorkling and the Parrot Fish. There was about a half-mile of reef right off the island, along with two smaller lagoons for the kids. As soon as we put our stuff in a locker, we got our fins and masks and headed out to explore it.
Although the environment wasn't as pretty as Virgin Gorda, there were a lot more fish; really big fish. The big draw here is the Blue Parrot Fish. It looks kind of like a dolphin fish with a high forehead and a little parrot beak. The smallest ones were about a foot long and the largest were two feet or more.
We snorkeled for about an hour, then got out and rested for a bit. Then, we went back in again and explored the other half of the reef. By this time it was around 11:00 and the fish were looking for shade. So, we headed up to the restaurant that was built out over the water and went swimming underneath it. There were whole flocks of little yellow fish (about 6 inches long) as well as a large pike-like fish that Kathy saw. (I really can't see anything without my glasses unless it's really close, really big or really colorful.)
After another hour or so, we got out for another rest. Kathy wanted to snorkel one last time, so I sat up in the restaraunt and watched her explore. When she got out it was 12:20 and we only had another 25 minutes before our boat left to return us to the ship.
We spent that 25 minutes at the lunch buffet: barbecue chicken wings, crab salad, fried bananas, baked grouper, fresh fruit.
We got back to the ship around 1:30 and took a nap. (I kind of like doing that; I wonder if I ought to start napping every afternoon in my office.) Tonight was the second formal night, so we got dressed and went to dinner around 6:00.
Second formal night was lobster night, and that's what both of us had. We each got a half of a lobster tail, some shrimp and some scallps over a risotto base. It wasn't as good as I'd expected. They also had the waiters carrying baked Alaska in a parade, and the introduction of all the food service staff.
After dinner, Kathy pointed out that it was only 8:00 pm. I tried to drag her onto the dance floor, but she knows how I dance, so we went to the room instead. We were going to read our books. I almost read a page.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day 8: Willemstad Curacao
Good Friday, April 2nd
With a day of rest and a good night's sleep behind us, we both woke up before six o'clock, got dressed and went up on deck to watch us dock at Willemstead. The city is really colorful and different than any of the other Caribbean ports we'd seen. It is arranged around St. Anna's Bay and all of the houses are painted in different pastel shades.
After watching the docking we walked down to the buffet and had breakfast. Then we made a quick trip back to our room and headed off the ship to explore the town at around 8:30.
Our first stop was, you guessed it, a Fort. The fort on the west side of St. Anna's Bay, the portion of the city named Otrobanda, is called Fort Rif. However, the only thing fort-like about it are the walls. Inside it's been turned into a modern shopping center with scores of restaurants, bars and shops. We climbed to the top of the wall and walked around it, just to get a feel for the view up and down the coast. Then we took off for the city.
The two halves of the city are connected by a pontoon bridge for foot traffic (named Queen Emma's bridge) and a really high arched bridge (Queen Julianna) for motor traffic. At least ten times a day the pontoon bridge swings out of the way so that boat traffic can get through into the main portion of St. Anna's bay.
We crossed the pontoon bridge and started walking through the eastern of Punda portion of the town. The first thing we saw was the floating market. These are boats who pull up to the wharf on the north side of down and sell local produce. There was a lot of tropical fruits as well as large bananas and other produce that I didn't recognize.
There weren't a lot of crowds (locals or tourists), probably because it was a holiday. Many of the shops in the tourist core of downtown were closed for Good Friday, and the rest were closing early at 2:00 pm. There were even fewer people when we went out of the city.
Neither of us especially wanted to look through the tourist shops so we started walking out of town following one of the arms of St. Anna's Bay and then one of the main streets. We first passed a Pentecostal storefront church. We looked inside and saw that there was only one person in the seats. While we were standing there, a woman walked up and invited us to the Good Friday service that started in a few minutes. However, the service was in Spanish, so we didn't go in. We passed a Methodist church, which seemed to be full, but the service was already going, and a Catholic church which didn't have anything happening.
As we kept walking the houses got smaller and less well tended, but were still painted pastel colors. We walked by a graveyard but couldn't get in. After about two miles, the houses petered out and it looked like we were entering a rural and industrial area. (There are a lot of oil wells and oil tanks all over the island. The island is only 35 miles off of the coast of Venezuela, so I assume that they are tapping the same deposits).
Once we ran out of houses we turned right and kept going until we got to the ocean. The entire south-east coast of Curacao is an underwater marine park, but the beach is almost non existent. There is also no public access per-se. According to my guidebook, you can go into the resorts lining this section of the island and pay to snorkel there.
We didn't do that, but as we walked back toward town, we found several abandoned houses and we were able to get to the beach by walking through their property. The houses that are not abandoned are all just pristine. I imagine that it costs a lot to restore some of these old places. (Many of them are UNESCO World Heratige buildings, so you probably can't tear them down and put up a modern building.)
When we got back to the center of town we walked around the other fort, Fort Amsterdam. This is still very much in use as a governmental and police building. It doesn't look at all like an old fort; its walls have all been painted a nice pastel yellow.
After the fort, we walked though the tourist section of Punda and then crossed the pontoon bridge once again. We stopped in a cafe on Howard Johnson's square (right in front of the Howard Johnson's Hotel and Casino) and rested our feet for a bit. While we were sitting there, a yacht needed to get into the inner harbor, so they moved the pontoon bridge, which was kind of interesting.
After catching our breath and resting our feet, we decided to walk in the opposite direction and explore Otrobanda. This is not a tourist section of town. We walked down the main street looking in the shops and taking pictures of the buildings.
Eventually we came to a Christian college and another Catholic cathedral. Inside, in one corner of the curch there were about 25 old women holding a Good Friday service. We listened for a few minutes but really couldn't understand anything.
After leaving the church we found another large cemetery, filled entirely with crypts. I think maybe they don't do underground burials because the ground is rock, but I don't know. We certainly weren't at sea-level, like New Orleans.
Across from the cemetery was a supermarket and we went in and bought some Diet Coke for our stateroom. Because this wasn't in a tourist area, they really didn't know what to do with our American money (and we hadn't changed any into Florins). The supermarket was run by a Chinese family and their young son tried to figure out the conversion rate. Finally the mom just said "they're about a dollar" and so we handed over four ones.
By now it was almost twelve-thirty and we'd been walking for almost four hours and we were both hot and sweaty. When be got back on board we went to the buffet and drank ice-tea after ice-tea. Then we had a little lunch and went to our cabin for reading and a nap.
Next stop, Aruba and some more snorkeling.
With a day of rest and a good night's sleep behind us, we both woke up before six o'clock, got dressed and went up on deck to watch us dock at Willemstead. The city is really colorful and different than any of the other Caribbean ports we'd seen. It is arranged around St. Anna's Bay and all of the houses are painted in different pastel shades.
After watching the docking we walked down to the buffet and had breakfast. Then we made a quick trip back to our room and headed off the ship to explore the town at around 8:30.
Our first stop was, you guessed it, a Fort. The fort on the west side of St. Anna's Bay, the portion of the city named Otrobanda, is called Fort Rif. However, the only thing fort-like about it are the walls. Inside it's been turned into a modern shopping center with scores of restaurants, bars and shops. We climbed to the top of the wall and walked around it, just to get a feel for the view up and down the coast. Then we took off for the city.
The two halves of the city are connected by a pontoon bridge for foot traffic (named Queen Emma's bridge) and a really high arched bridge (Queen Julianna) for motor traffic. At least ten times a day the pontoon bridge swings out of the way so that boat traffic can get through into the main portion of St. Anna's bay.
We crossed the pontoon bridge and started walking through the eastern of Punda portion of the town. The first thing we saw was the floating market. These are boats who pull up to the wharf on the north side of down and sell local produce. There was a lot of tropical fruits as well as large bananas and other produce that I didn't recognize.
There weren't a lot of crowds (locals or tourists), probably because it was a holiday. Many of the shops in the tourist core of downtown were closed for Good Friday, and the rest were closing early at 2:00 pm. There were even fewer people when we went out of the city.
Neither of us especially wanted to look through the tourist shops so we started walking out of town following one of the arms of St. Anna's Bay and then one of the main streets. We first passed a Pentecostal storefront church. We looked inside and saw that there was only one person in the seats. While we were standing there, a woman walked up and invited us to the Good Friday service that started in a few minutes. However, the service was in Spanish, so we didn't go in. We passed a Methodist church, which seemed to be full, but the service was already going, and a Catholic church which didn't have anything happening.
As we kept walking the houses got smaller and less well tended, but were still painted pastel colors. We walked by a graveyard but couldn't get in. After about two miles, the houses petered out and it looked like we were entering a rural and industrial area. (There are a lot of oil wells and oil tanks all over the island. The island is only 35 miles off of the coast of Venezuela, so I assume that they are tapping the same deposits).
Once we ran out of houses we turned right and kept going until we got to the ocean. The entire south-east coast of Curacao is an underwater marine park, but the beach is almost non existent. There is also no public access per-se. According to my guidebook, you can go into the resorts lining this section of the island and pay to snorkel there.
We didn't do that, but as we walked back toward town, we found several abandoned houses and we were able to get to the beach by walking through their property. The houses that are not abandoned are all just pristine. I imagine that it costs a lot to restore some of these old places. (Many of them are UNESCO World Heratige buildings, so you probably can't tear them down and put up a modern building.)
When we got back to the center of town we walked around the other fort, Fort Amsterdam. This is still very much in use as a governmental and police building. It doesn't look at all like an old fort; its walls have all been painted a nice pastel yellow.
After the fort, we walked though the tourist section of Punda and then crossed the pontoon bridge once again. We stopped in a cafe on Howard Johnson's square (right in front of the Howard Johnson's Hotel and Casino) and rested our feet for a bit. While we were sitting there, a yacht needed to get into the inner harbor, so they moved the pontoon bridge, which was kind of interesting.
After catching our breath and resting our feet, we decided to walk in the opposite direction and explore Otrobanda. This is not a tourist section of town. We walked down the main street looking in the shops and taking pictures of the buildings.
Eventually we came to a Christian college and another Catholic cathedral. Inside, in one corner of the curch there were about 25 old women holding a Good Friday service. We listened for a few minutes but really couldn't understand anything.
After leaving the church we found another large cemetery, filled entirely with crypts. I think maybe they don't do underground burials because the ground is rock, but I don't know. We certainly weren't at sea-level, like New Orleans.
Across from the cemetery was a supermarket and we went in and bought some Diet Coke for our stateroom. Because this wasn't in a tourist area, they really didn't know what to do with our American money (and we hadn't changed any into Florins). The supermarket was run by a Chinese family and their young son tried to figure out the conversion rate. Finally the mom just said "they're about a dollar" and so we handed over four ones.
By now it was almost twelve-thirty and we'd been walking for almost four hours and we were both hot and sweaty. When be got back on board we went to the buffet and drank ice-tea after ice-tea. Then we had a little lunch and went to our cabin for reading and a nap.
Next stop, Aruba and some more snorkeling.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Day 7: All At Sea
Thursday, April 1st
Today is a sea day; we're traveling from Granada to Curacao about 26 miles off the coast of Venezuela. It's been a pretty relaxing day. We got up early and had breakfast. At breakfast Kathy saw some of the Caribbean flying fish playing in the boat's wake.
After breakfast we found a quiet set of deck chairs on the Promenade deck (although the call it something else on this ship), and spent the morning reading and watching the sea go by.
We had lunch in the dining room, and after lunch Kathy did some sunbathing on our balcony while I took a shower and updated our blog.
Today is a sea day; we're traveling from Granada to Curacao about 26 miles off the coast of Venezuela. It's been a pretty relaxing day. We got up early and had breakfast. At breakfast Kathy saw some of the Caribbean flying fish playing in the boat's wake.
After breakfast we found a quiet set of deck chairs on the Promenade deck (although the call it something else on this ship), and spent the morning reading and watching the sea go by.
We had lunch in the dining room, and after lunch Kathy did some sunbathing on our balcony while I took a shower and updated our blog.
Day 6: St. George
Wednesday, March 31
Kathy and I were up early Wednesday to watch our ship pull into St. George Granada. The cruise ship terminal is just outside the harbor, beneath Fort George perched on a tall cliff. Today, though, instead of heading up hill, we're going to climb on a catamaran for some sailing, snorkeling and beachcombing.
We had a quick breakfast in the buffet and rushed ashore to meet our tour at 8:15 on the docks. It was a little bedlamish because the Princess of the Caribbean, which is really big, was parked right next to us and they were all going on their excursions as well.
When we met our tour guide, he led us single file into the Sendal tunnel, through the mountain capped by Fort George and to the inner harbor named the Carenage where the Carib Cat was moored. The tunnel is just wide enough for a compact car, but in addition to a steady stream of cars there are two lines of people snaking through the tunnel on the shoulder.
We had about 25 people on our trip. You could sit on the cabin under a tarp, or spread out on the hulls or the nets between the hulls. Our boat was actually a trimaran, not a catamaran. As soon as we motored out into the harbor, they raised the mainsail. There was a 15-20 knot breeze that filled the sail, but it wasn't really a large sail for the size of the boat; most of the power was still supplied by the outboards.
We sailed north along the coast and met up with another Carib Cat at Flamingo Bay, where we were given fins, masks and diving vest. For the next hour we got to explore the fish and coral underneath the bay. We both saw a lot of fish, but Kathy saw them a little better than I did.
Once they called us back to the boat, the crew hoisted the sails again, unfurled the jib and headed south to Grand Anse Beach, where they brought the boat ashore. We had about an hour and a half to walk or swim. Kathy and I chose to walk up the beach to the end. It's really beautiful, and the water is so clear.
Finally about 12:00 o'clock we were called back to the boat and we motored back to the harbor. We got back on board ship around 1:30 where we had some lunch, and then a quick shower and nap.
We didn't want to let the rest of the afternoon go to waste, though, so at 3:00 we got off the boat again and hiked up to Fort George. For $2 each, and a tip to the tour guide, we got to explore the Fort. There were several old cannons, plus the courtyard where Prime Minister Bishop and his girlfriend where executed by firing squad right before the US "intervention".
When we left the Fort we climbed down the other side. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 struck Granada really hard. Immediately to the north of the Fort is the clock tower and remains of the Presbyterian church with only the walls still standing. Apparently the hurricane also de-roofed the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals as well.
Climbing down into the city we looked in at the public library and then walked around the bay looking at the boats. We got back to the ship just as they were putting away the gangplank at 4:45. Another shower and dinner in the dining room and then, like the old folks we are, asleep by 8:00.
Kathy and I were up early Wednesday to watch our ship pull into St. George Granada. The cruise ship terminal is just outside the harbor, beneath Fort George perched on a tall cliff. Today, though, instead of heading up hill, we're going to climb on a catamaran for some sailing, snorkeling and beachcombing.
We had a quick breakfast in the buffet and rushed ashore to meet our tour at 8:15 on the docks. It was a little bedlamish because the Princess of the Caribbean, which is really big, was parked right next to us and they were all going on their excursions as well.
When we met our tour guide, he led us single file into the Sendal tunnel, through the mountain capped by Fort George and to the inner harbor named the Carenage where the Carib Cat was moored. The tunnel is just wide enough for a compact car, but in addition to a steady stream of cars there are two lines of people snaking through the tunnel on the shoulder.
We had about 25 people on our trip. You could sit on the cabin under a tarp, or spread out on the hulls or the nets between the hulls. Our boat was actually a trimaran, not a catamaran. As soon as we motored out into the harbor, they raised the mainsail. There was a 15-20 knot breeze that filled the sail, but it wasn't really a large sail for the size of the boat; most of the power was still supplied by the outboards.
We sailed north along the coast and met up with another Carib Cat at Flamingo Bay, where we were given fins, masks and diving vest. For the next hour we got to explore the fish and coral underneath the bay. We both saw a lot of fish, but Kathy saw them a little better than I did.
Once they called us back to the boat, the crew hoisted the sails again, unfurled the jib and headed south to Grand Anse Beach, where they brought the boat ashore. We had about an hour and a half to walk or swim. Kathy and I chose to walk up the beach to the end. It's really beautiful, and the water is so clear.
Finally about 12:00 o'clock we were called back to the boat and we motored back to the harbor. We got back on board ship around 1:30 where we had some lunch, and then a quick shower and nap.
We didn't want to let the rest of the afternoon go to waste, though, so at 3:00 we got off the boat again and hiked up to Fort George. For $2 each, and a tip to the tour guide, we got to explore the Fort. There were several old cannons, plus the courtyard where Prime Minister Bishop and his girlfriend where executed by firing squad right before the US "intervention".
When we left the Fort we climbed down the other side. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 struck Granada really hard. Immediately to the north of the Fort is the clock tower and remains of the Presbyterian church with only the walls still standing. Apparently the hurricane also de-roofed the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals as well.
Climbing down into the city we looked in at the public library and then walked around the bay looking at the boats. We got back to the ship just as they were putting away the gangplank at 4:45. Another shower and dinner in the dining room and then, like the old folks we are, asleep by 8:00.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Day 5: Bababa BabaBarbados
Tuesday, March 30
This morning, about 10:00 am we landed in Bridgetown Barbados. Barbados is the eastern most island in the Caribbean, standing almost by itself out in the Atlantic. It also is supposed to have great surf on its east coast. Our guidebook also said that we could find bicycles for rent, and since the island is mostly flat, that's unlike the steep volcanic islands we'd visited up to now. So, instead of going on another cruise excursion, I though we could rent bikes and go check-out the surf.
Whoo-hoo!
Well, that didn't happen. We did find a bike shop. However we never saw a single person riding a bike. There are no bike lanes and no shoulders, and the locals drive with what looks to us like complete reckless abandon. Even if the drivers were polite and bike-friendly, though, there were a couple of things that convinced us a bike tour of the island was a bad idea.
First, there is absolutely no room on the road for a bicycle. There are so many cars that every inch of road is covered with them. Second, attempting to ride a bike in the heat and humidity would certainly bring on cardiac arrest. Instead, we just walked around town. (Like St. Lucia, taxi drivers were always asking us if we wanted a ride.)
In town we walked past the Parliament building and saw a statue to Lord Nelson (right at the end of Trafalgar Street.) We spent about an hour wandering around the Anglican cathedral, and through the cemetery that surrounds it. Even the flagstones on the walk were headstones, many dating back to the 1620s. We went inside the church and saw the huge pipe organs.
Once outside again, we decided to do some shopping. When we first started our walk I saw some really colorful dresses that I though would look great on Kathy. We went back to the store to price them and found out they cost about $450. Of course that's in Barbados dollars, so the US price was only $225. That was a little more than we wanted to pay, so we passed. (The store was air-conditioned, though, so that was great.)
We also found a supermarket and bought some sodas and snacks to take back to the ship. The only problem is that if you pay in US dollars, you can't get US change. After using our tens and ones to purchase groceries, we didn't have enough left to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Fortunately, our shuttle driver had change and we were able to use a 20.
After lunch, we sat in our balcony reading and looking at the four other cruise ships who were also parked in the bay. I almost finished my book (although I wasn't able to find the Java programming or banana part again. Don't you hate that.)
At dinner, Kathy wore a colorful hippy-tie-died skirt which really looked good on her. We started talking about how poor these islands really are, and how much dropping hordes of very rich tourists downtown every day really probably distorts the way people work and live. I can't imagine having a Chinese (for example) cruise ship embark in Newport Beach, and then having everyone you know try to figure out a way to make a living off of the passengers who visit. Both of us agreed that we didn't feel that way when we cruised to Alaska, Hawaii or Europe.
After dinner, Kathy went to pick up her email at the Computing Center and I tried to get caught up on my blog.
This morning, about 10:00 am we landed in Bridgetown Barbados. Barbados is the eastern most island in the Caribbean, standing almost by itself out in the Atlantic. It also is supposed to have great surf on its east coast. Our guidebook also said that we could find bicycles for rent, and since the island is mostly flat, that's unlike the steep volcanic islands we'd visited up to now. So, instead of going on another cruise excursion, I though we could rent bikes and go check-out the surf.
Whoo-hoo!
Well, that didn't happen. We did find a bike shop. However we never saw a single person riding a bike. There are no bike lanes and no shoulders, and the locals drive with what looks to us like complete reckless abandon. Even if the drivers were polite and bike-friendly, though, there were a couple of things that convinced us a bike tour of the island was a bad idea.
First, there is absolutely no room on the road for a bicycle. There are so many cars that every inch of road is covered with them. Second, attempting to ride a bike in the heat and humidity would certainly bring on cardiac arrest. Instead, we just walked around town. (Like St. Lucia, taxi drivers were always asking us if we wanted a ride.)
In town we walked past the Parliament building and saw a statue to Lord Nelson (right at the end of Trafalgar Street.) We spent about an hour wandering around the Anglican cathedral, and through the cemetery that surrounds it. Even the flagstones on the walk were headstones, many dating back to the 1620s. We went inside the church and saw the huge pipe organs.
Once outside again, we decided to do some shopping. When we first started our walk I saw some really colorful dresses that I though would look great on Kathy. We went back to the store to price them and found out they cost about $450. Of course that's in Barbados dollars, so the US price was only $225. That was a little more than we wanted to pay, so we passed. (The store was air-conditioned, though, so that was great.)
We also found a supermarket and bought some sodas and snacks to take back to the ship. The only problem is that if you pay in US dollars, you can't get US change. After using our tens and ones to purchase groceries, we didn't have enough left to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Fortunately, our shuttle driver had change and we were able to use a 20.
After lunch, we sat in our balcony reading and looking at the four other cruise ships who were also parked in the bay. I almost finished my book (although I wasn't able to find the Java programming or banana part again. Don't you hate that.)
At dinner, Kathy wore a colorful hippy-tie-died skirt which really looked good on her. We started talking about how poor these islands really are, and how much dropping hordes of very rich tourists downtown every day really probably distorts the way people work and live. I can't imagine having a Chinese (for example) cruise ship embark in Newport Beach, and then having everyone you know try to figure out a way to make a living off of the passengers who visit. Both of us agreed that we didn't feel that way when we cruised to Alaska, Hawaii or Europe.
After dinner, Kathy went to pick up her email at the Computing Center and I tried to get caught up on my blog.
Day 4: Saints Galore
Monday, March 29
Today we stopped at St. Lucia. You'd recognize the island if you saw it; the twin spires called the Pitons at the end of the island were used in some the CGI effects for Pirates of Caribbean.
I'm not sure if there are any pirates left on St. Lucia, but getting out of the cruise ship terminal requires running a gauntlet of hard-sell tour guides and taxi drivers. Even walking down the road they'll pull over and show you a brochure.
We didn't see a lot of people out walking, so maybe their sales pitch is effective. Or maybe everyone else on the ship has a lot better sense than Kathy and I. We decided to climb to the top of Morne Fortune to see the remains of Fort Charlotte. It was only about three miles away; unfortunately, those three miles were almost straight up.
We walked, and walked and walked. When we met someone on the road, we asked directions to Fort Charlotte. We met a taxi driver who had "He who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. Kathy asked him if he really believed that (and he said yes). However, he didn't know where Fort Charlotte was. No one had heard of Fort Charlotte. Kathy said that we should follow the tour buses and so we did.
Finally we came to some ruins of the fort: a small wall and what looked like a detention (like brick stockade cells) facility.
Right next door we found the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, with Sir Arthur Lewis (one of St. Lucia's two Nobel prize winners) buried in the back. The college itself is housed in the converted buildings from the modern day Fort Charlotte. (Kind of like OCC and the Santa Ana Army Airbase.)
We walked around the college a bit and read the class schedule. (No computer programming. What's up with that?) Then we asked a security guard where the remains of Fort Charlotte were. He had never heard of Fort Charlotte either. However, he pointed us to a monument at the back of the property where there was a obelisk to the 27th Inniskilling's regiment's retaking of the fort from the French in 1796.
A fellow wearing a Rasta hat and dreadlocks attached himself to us and began telling us about the history of the hill. Along with him were a young man, maybe 19 or 20 and his girlfriend, taking notes. Apparently, one of the majors at SALCC is the hospitality industry, and the two were students learning how to be tour guides.
At the entrance to the monument was a map showing all of the ruins and what they represented. Other than that, though, none of my guidebooks had detailed information and the tourist office didn't either.
We gave the guide ten dollars for a tip and some cold water. Then Kathy and I started walking down again. By this time, we were really, really, really hot and sweaty. Going down was easier by far, but it still provided an opportunity to groom a different set of aching muscles.
We met a staff member from the college walking down the road to meet her husband, and she told us to "watch out for the hoodlums". According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, "many youths like to portray themselves as radical Rastas or American-style ghetto thugs." While there were a lot of young men hanging out on the corners, we were never accosted. The only ones who constantly tried to get us into their vans were the tour operators.
Eventually, by 2:30, we found our way back to the ship, completely beat. The whole trip took about five hours. After a really quick lunch, we both went to the cabin for a nap, and barely woke up in time for dinner. After dinner we decided to do some reading. We're both reading the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva (which are really good). In the one I'm reading, Gabriel is trying to discover some missing paintings stolen by the Nazis. Before he can do that, though, he has to grade a stack of Java programming homework, and then sort a stack of bananas.
As you can guess, I was only able to read about a page and a half before dreamland took over.
Today we stopped at St. Lucia. You'd recognize the island if you saw it; the twin spires called the Pitons at the end of the island were used in some the CGI effects for Pirates of Caribbean.
I'm not sure if there are any pirates left on St. Lucia, but getting out of the cruise ship terminal requires running a gauntlet of hard-sell tour guides and taxi drivers. Even walking down the road they'll pull over and show you a brochure.We didn't see a lot of people out walking, so maybe their sales pitch is effective. Or maybe everyone else on the ship has a lot better sense than Kathy and I. We decided to climb to the top of Morne Fortune to see the remains of Fort Charlotte. It was only about three miles away; unfortunately, those three miles were almost straight up.
We walked, and walked and walked. When we met someone on the road, we asked directions to Fort Charlotte. We met a taxi driver who had "He who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. Kathy asked him if he really believed that (and he said yes). However, he didn't know where Fort Charlotte was. No one had heard of Fort Charlotte. Kathy said that we should follow the tour buses and so we did.
Finally we came to some ruins of the fort: a small wall and what looked like a detention (like brick stockade cells) facility.
Right next door we found the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, with Sir Arthur Lewis (one of St. Lucia's two Nobel prize winners) buried in the back. The college itself is housed in the converted buildings from the modern day Fort Charlotte. (Kind of like OCC and the Santa Ana Army Airbase.)
We walked around the college a bit and read the class schedule. (No computer programming. What's up with that?) Then we asked a security guard where the remains of Fort Charlotte were. He had never heard of Fort Charlotte either. However, he pointed us to a monument at the back of the property where there was a obelisk to the 27th Inniskilling's regiment's retaking of the fort from the French in 1796.
A fellow wearing a Rasta hat and dreadlocks attached himself to us and began telling us about the history of the hill. Along with him were a young man, maybe 19 or 20 and his girlfriend, taking notes. Apparently, one of the majors at SALCC is the hospitality industry, and the two were students learning how to be tour guides.
At the entrance to the monument was a map showing all of the ruins and what they represented. Other than that, though, none of my guidebooks had detailed information and the tourist office didn't either.
We gave the guide ten dollars for a tip and some cold water. Then Kathy and I started walking down again. By this time, we were really, really, really hot and sweaty. Going down was easier by far, but it still provided an opportunity to groom a different set of aching muscles.We met a staff member from the college walking down the road to meet her husband, and she told us to "watch out for the hoodlums". According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, "many youths like to portray themselves as radical Rastas or American-style ghetto thugs." While there were a lot of young men hanging out on the corners, we were never accosted. The only ones who constantly tried to get us into their vans were the tour operators.
Eventually, by 2:30, we found our way back to the ship, completely beat. The whole trip took about five hours. After a really quick lunch, we both went to the cabin for a nap, and barely woke up in time for dinner. After dinner we decided to do some reading. We're both reading the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva (which are really good). In the one I'm reading, Gabriel is trying to discover some missing paintings stolen by the Nazis. Before he can do that, though, he has to grade a stack of Java programming homework, and then sort a stack of bananas.
As you can guess, I was only able to read about a page and a half before dreamland took over.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Day 3: Dutch Treat
Sunday, March 28, Palm Sunday
Sint Maarten is the Dutch half of the Island of St. Martin; the other half is French. We landed at Phillipsburg around 7:00 am. We didn't sign up for a snorkeling tour today. Instead we decided to walk around town.
We left right after breakfast, about 8:30. I'd purchased a chapter from the Lonely Planet Caribbean guidebook and read it on my computer before we set off. (This turned out to be a not-so-good idea. I should have printed the chapter before we left; relying on my memory of a map is iffy at best.)
Phillipsburg has a wide new boardwalk that covers 2/3 of the bay. The restaurants and bars that line the boardwalk are all very modern and wouldn't look out of place in a theme park.
One block over, on Front Street, things look decidedly more authentic.
Kathy and I walked the length of the boardwalk, stopping only to listen to the Choir at the Catholic church singing Palm Sunday hymns. There was a big crowd, lining the steps to both entrances, so we couldn't see inside.
When we got to the end of the boardwalk we decided to continue walking out of town and around the bay to visit the ruins of Fort Amsterdam. This was the first Dutch military outpost in Caribbean, founded in 1631. Two years later, the Spanish ran them off. When the Dutch tried to reclaim the fort, Peter Stuyvesant (who later became governor of New Amsterdam--aka New York) lost his leg to a cannonball.
The remains of the fort are on the western-most point of Great Bay, about 3 miles from the cruise ship terminal. To get to the fort we had to climb a hill as we left town; we were both pretty sweaty, but it didn't last long. Once over the hill, we had to walk through a resort (the Divi) to get to the track leading to the fort.
Although there were no signs telling visitors how to reach the site, once there we found a nicely preserved site with some rusty cannons, and old communications shack, the ruins of one of the original dwellings, as well as the remains of the fortified walls. There was also a great nature trail and lots of explanitory plaques. There were also a lot of wild chickens, just like Maui.
After we'd been there about an hour, it began to rain and we took refuge in the communications shack with a couple from the French side of the island and another couple from Cape Cod staying at the Divi. We talked for a while waiting for the rain to let up. When it did, we all started down the hill.
Unfortunately, we didn't judge the rain that well; half-way down the hill it started up again and we were all soaked. The sun soon came out again, though and by the time we were back in town, we were almost dry. (As dry as anyone gets where the humidity hovers around 90%).
Before we went back to the ship, we wanted to explore the town. I suggested that we follow a little trail alongside a canal so that we could see the great salt marsh that makes up the center of town. We followed the pathway past the cemetery and found ourselves not on the lagoon but on a back street in Phillipsburg.
We felt a little out of place, (but didn't feel endangered). It was certainly a different world than the "Pirates of the Caribbean" version of Phillipsburg found on the boardwalk. We found small stores and people barbecuing under trees. We also found a Holiness Church of God congregation singing their own Palm Sunday hyms.
After walking through town (looking for a pay-phone) we headed back to the boardwalk. One continual source of frustration is our inability to call our kids; Kathy purchased an International Calling card at Costco. That's what we used in Europe, but here we haven't found a single phone that will accept it.
On the boardwalk, we stopped for a drink and Kathy got to talking to the server, a girl named Cynthia. She's been in Sint Maarten for nine years where she moved from Jamaica. Kathy asked her if she knew that is was Palm Sunday, and what that was. She did know. She said that in Jamaica, families got together to celebrate, but here most people ignored religious holidays and worked instead.
On our way back to the boat, we also stopped by the Catholic church and looked inside. It was not very ornate, but on the door we saw the church did have several Palm Sunday processions, but that we had missed them. When we first went by we couldn't see the announcements because of the crowds.
We got back around 2:00 and grabbed quick lunch. Both of us were pretty beat so we went to our stateroom, showered and fell asleep reading our books.
Sunday was the first formal night of the cruise, so we got dressed up and headed down to dinner. (Kathy looked beautiful.) In the past, formal night was always "lobster night". Of course, our boat has 2,000 passengers on it and every port has at least 2 or 3 cruise ships in it. I'm sure if all of them had "lobster night', there would be very few lobsters left.
(Years ago my folks took all of us, including Judah and Hosanna, on a 4-day Mexico cruise. Judah kept ordering more lobster. He knew what he liked.)
Anyway, the dinner was very nice with the lights lowered and candles on all of the tables. The food was really good also. I am a little disappointed that we don't seem to be having any traditional Caribbean food, though. I was hoping to see Conch fritters, black-bean soup, pulled pork, plantains and other local dishes.
Finally, after dinner, Kathy picked up her email and we went to a movie, AdventureLand. We stayed for almost 15 minutes before leaving and heading up to bed.
We had a good night's sleep. Only about 25% of my dreams were about grading students' exams.
Sint Maarten is the Dutch half of the Island of St. Martin; the other half is French. We landed at Phillipsburg around 7:00 am. We didn't sign up for a snorkeling tour today. Instead we decided to walk around town.
We left right after breakfast, about 8:30. I'd purchased a chapter from the Lonely Planet Caribbean guidebook and read it on my computer before we set off. (This turned out to be a not-so-good idea. I should have printed the chapter before we left; relying on my memory of a map is iffy at best.)Phillipsburg has a wide new boardwalk that covers 2/3 of the bay. The restaurants and bars that line the boardwalk are all very modern and wouldn't look out of place in a theme park.
One block over, on Front Street, things look decidedly more authentic.
Kathy and I walked the length of the boardwalk, stopping only to listen to the Choir at the Catholic church singing Palm Sunday hymns. There was a big crowd, lining the steps to both entrances, so we couldn't see inside.When we got to the end of the boardwalk we decided to continue walking out of town and around the bay to visit the ruins of Fort Amsterdam. This was the first Dutch military outpost in Caribbean, founded in 1631. Two years later, the Spanish ran them off. When the Dutch tried to reclaim the fort, Peter Stuyvesant (who later became governor of New Amsterdam--aka New York) lost his leg to a cannonball.
The remains of the fort are on the western-most point of Great Bay, about 3 miles from the cruise ship terminal. To get to the fort we had to climb a hill as we left town; we were both pretty sweaty, but it didn't last long. Once over the hill, we had to walk through a resort (the Divi) to get to the track leading to the fort.Although there were no signs telling visitors how to reach the site, once there we found a nicely preserved site with some rusty cannons, and old communications shack, the ruins of one of the original dwellings, as well as the remains of the fortified walls. There was also a great nature trail and lots of explanitory plaques. There were also a lot of wild chickens, just like Maui.
After we'd been there about an hour, it began to rain and we took refuge in the communications shack with a couple from the French side of the island and another couple from Cape Cod staying at the Divi. We talked for a while waiting for the rain to let up. When it did, we all started down the hill.
Unfortunately, we didn't judge the rain that well; half-way down the hill it started up again and we were all soaked. The sun soon came out again, though and by the time we were back in town, we were almost dry. (As dry as anyone gets where the humidity hovers around 90%).Before we went back to the ship, we wanted to explore the town. I suggested that we follow a little trail alongside a canal so that we could see the great salt marsh that makes up the center of town. We followed the pathway past the cemetery and found ourselves not on the lagoon but on a back street in Phillipsburg.
We felt a little out of place, (but didn't feel endangered). It was certainly a different world than the "Pirates of the Caribbean" version of Phillipsburg found on the boardwalk. We found small stores and people barbecuing under trees. We also found a Holiness Church of God congregation singing their own Palm Sunday hyms.After walking through town (looking for a pay-phone) we headed back to the boardwalk. One continual source of frustration is our inability to call our kids; Kathy purchased an International Calling card at Costco. That's what we used in Europe, but here we haven't found a single phone that will accept it.
On the boardwalk, we stopped for a drink and Kathy got to talking to the server, a girl named Cynthia. She's been in Sint Maarten for nine years where she moved from Jamaica. Kathy asked her if she knew that is was Palm Sunday, and what that was. She did know. She said that in Jamaica, families got together to celebrate, but here most people ignored religious holidays and worked instead.On our way back to the boat, we also stopped by the Catholic church and looked inside. It was not very ornate, but on the door we saw the church did have several Palm Sunday processions, but that we had missed them. When we first went by we couldn't see the announcements because of the crowds.
We got back around 2:00 and grabbed quick lunch. Both of us were pretty beat so we went to our stateroom, showered and fell asleep reading our books.
Sunday was the first formal night of the cruise, so we got dressed up and headed down to dinner. (Kathy looked beautiful.) In the past, formal night was always "lobster night". Of course, our boat has 2,000 passengers on it and every port has at least 2 or 3 cruise ships in it. I'm sure if all of them had "lobster night', there would be very few lobsters left.(Years ago my folks took all of us, including Judah and Hosanna, on a 4-day Mexico cruise. Judah kept ordering more lobster. He knew what he liked.)
Anyway, the dinner was very nice with the lights lowered and candles on all of the tables. The food was really good also. I am a little disappointed that we don't seem to be having any traditional Caribbean food, though. I was hoping to see Conch fritters, black-bean soup, pulled pork, plantains and other local dishes.
Finally, after dinner, Kathy picked up her email and we went to a movie, AdventureLand. We stayed for almost 15 minutes before leaving and heading up to bed.
We had a good night's sleep. Only about 25% of my dreams were about grading students' exams.
Day 2: One Fat Virgin
Saturday, March 26
At 6:00 am our ship docked at Road Town in Tortula, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. On of the smaller islands, Norman Island was the inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
Both of us woke easily, but I was still pretty nervous about the snorkeling trip and couldn't really eat very much at breakfast. (Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing.) After changing into our bathing suits and carefully checking our "carry-on" bag (towels, check; sunscreen, check) we headed out to the dock to meet our group at 8:15.
Getting off the boat we found ourselves following a group of athletic 20-somethings, and I got more and more apprehensive. Once we found our group, though, I was really relieved; at least half of them were approaching my age, so I was pretty sure everything would be fine.
We loaded onto a wide, flat-bottomed boat with a canopy and headed out to Virgin Gorda (named by Christopher Columbus because he though the island looked like a pregnant woman lying on her back. Of course if she was pregnant, she wouldn't be a virgin, so I guess it is supposed to refer to the virgin Mary.)
It took about a half hour to cross the Sir Francis Drake channel. During that time the crew walked around distributing dive vests, masks and fins to all of the passengers. Some of the group already had their own equipment, but most didn't.
When we got to Virgin Gorda, the portion of the coast we approached had these large round boulders lining the shore, with small sandy coves lying between the outcroppings. Our boat's crew picked up a buoy that couldn't have been more than a hundred feet from shore. Then, we all suited up, jumped of the back of the boat and swam to shore.
On shore our guide (one of the crew members) told us a little bit about our hike. We were going to walk through the boulders up to the next bay, (Devil's Bay), and then snorkel back along the outside of the bay.
It was really an amazing walk. There were ropes and some small stairs built to keep everything safe. (This is one of the British Virgin Island's national parks). You scrunched down to fit through these narrow crevices and then came out in the cavern-like areas that fill with water as the tides change. These miniature swimming holes in the center of the huge boulder piles are what gave the "Baths" their name.
Kathy and I had a great time snorkeling back to the boat. It took us about an hour. There didn't seem to be as many fish as in Hawaii, but the water is much clearer. We did see a lot of fish though, some pretty good sized.
I originally tried to wear my classes inside my mask. When I did that, though, the mask filled up pretty quickly because it couldn't seal at my temples. Once I took my glasses off, I could actually see a little better. Not as good as Kathy, though, who said there were really a lot of fish.
It was really a great excursion. I recommend it.
After we got back to the ship and had some lunch, we took off to do some shopping in Tortola. We walked through the entire town and couldn't find any of the stores listed in my Frommer's or Lonely Planet guide. Finally we saw a building with pallets of soda and such stacked outside. No sign on the building. We watched if for a while until we saw a lady coming out of a door. Sure enough, when we went in the door, it was a supermarket. We got some Coke, batteries, sunscreen and hairspray.
On our way back to the ship, we stopped into several clothing stores to see if I could find a hat and some flip-flops. We found both in a small store, but the flip-flops were almost $60. The big straw hat was only $12, though and I'm really happy I found it.
At dinner I vowed to be a little bit more adventurous and not just eat the things I'm used to. I had mushroom cappuccino and some kind of lamb which I really didn't care for. I think I'll be more adventurous for the rest of the trip and a little more "vacationous".
At 6:00 am our ship docked at Road Town in Tortula, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. On of the smaller islands, Norman Island was the inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
Both of us woke easily, but I was still pretty nervous about the snorkeling trip and couldn't really eat very much at breakfast. (Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing.) After changing into our bathing suits and carefully checking our "carry-on" bag (towels, check; sunscreen, check) we headed out to the dock to meet our group at 8:15.Getting off the boat we found ourselves following a group of athletic 20-somethings, and I got more and more apprehensive. Once we found our group, though, I was really relieved; at least half of them were approaching my age, so I was pretty sure everything would be fine.
We loaded onto a wide, flat-bottomed boat with a canopy and headed out to Virgin Gorda (named by Christopher Columbus because he though the island looked like a pregnant woman lying on her back. Of course if she was pregnant, she wouldn't be a virgin, so I guess it is supposed to refer to the virgin Mary.)It took about a half hour to cross the Sir Francis Drake channel. During that time the crew walked around distributing dive vests, masks and fins to all of the passengers. Some of the group already had their own equipment, but most didn't.
When we got to Virgin Gorda, the portion of the coast we approached had these large round boulders lining the shore, with small sandy coves lying between the outcroppings. Our boat's crew picked up a buoy that couldn't have been more than a hundred feet from shore. Then, we all suited up, jumped of the back of the boat and swam to shore.
On shore our guide (one of the crew members) told us a little bit about our hike. We were going to walk through the boulders up to the next bay, (Devil's Bay), and then snorkel back along the outside of the bay.It was really an amazing walk. There were ropes and some small stairs built to keep everything safe. (This is one of the British Virgin Island's national parks). You scrunched down to fit through these narrow crevices and then came out in the cavern-like areas that fill with water as the tides change. These miniature swimming holes in the center of the huge boulder piles are what gave the "Baths" their name.
Kathy and I had a great time snorkeling back to the boat. It took us about an hour. There didn't seem to be as many fish as in Hawaii, but the water is much clearer. We did see a lot of fish though, some pretty good sized.
I originally tried to wear my classes inside my mask. When I did that, though, the mask filled up pretty quickly because it couldn't seal at my temples. Once I took my glasses off, I could actually see a little better. Not as good as Kathy, though, who said there were really a lot of fish.
It was really a great excursion. I recommend it.
After we got back to the ship and had some lunch, we took off to do some shopping in Tortola. We walked through the entire town and couldn't find any of the stores listed in my Frommer's or Lonely Planet guide. Finally we saw a building with pallets of soda and such stacked outside. No sign on the building. We watched if for a while until we saw a lady coming out of a door. Sure enough, when we went in the door, it was a supermarket. We got some Coke, batteries, sunscreen and hairspray.On our way back to the ship, we stopped into several clothing stores to see if I could find a hat and some flip-flops. We found both in a small store, but the flip-flops were almost $60. The big straw hat was only $12, though and I'm really happy I found it.
At dinner I vowed to be a little bit more adventurous and not just eat the things I'm used to. I had mushroom cappuccino and some kind of lamb which I really didn't care for. I think I'll be more adventurous for the rest of the trip and a little more "vacationous".
Day 1: PR Zombies
Thursday and Friday, March 25-26
Our son, Judah, and daughter-in-law, Mari Kristin, drove us up to LAX to catch our flight to Atlanta, then, on to Puerto Rico. There was almost no traffic so it took us only about 45 minutes. We'd printed our boarding passes at home before we left, so we didn't need to check in at the airport either.
Security went fairly quick and so, before 10 pm we were sitting at the gate, waiting for a flight. We thought about getting something to eat, but the concessions at LAX are pretty limited, compared to other airports. Specifically, there didn't seem to be a Starbucks. (What's up with that?)
Our flight left right on time at 11:55 and the flight was as uneventful as a flight in Coach can be. This was a 767, so the side isles have only two seats. That meant that Kathy and I got our own row. Kathy slept a little, and I slept a very little. We touched down in Atlanta at 6:00.
Our connection to San Juan PR left at 8:30 am, so we went looking for breakfast. Unlike LAX, the Atlanta airport was chock-full of choices, from Dunkin' Donuts to Starbucks. We has a "southern" breakfast at Pashcals: scrambled eggs, grits, biscuits, home fries, bacon, and a giant smokey sausage link. I thought it was great.
Our flight to San Juan was on an older 737 with 3 seats on each side. Like our red-eye into Atlanta, it was also completely full. It also felt a little precarious both taking off and landing; it made a lot more non-engine noise when taking off, and, when landing it seemed to scoot across the runway a little crab-like when it hit.
In San Juan the cruise-ship transfer bus was waiting and we were able to get right on. By 1:30 we were unpacking in our stateroom, and headed up for lunch. We really didn't get much sleep on the plane so both of us felt like the walking dead. We considered getting a taxi and going across the bay to see Old San Juan, but that was more than we could handle.
Life-boat drill was at 5:30, dinner at 6:30, bed at 8:00. We watched the shipboard TV presentation about each of tomorrow's shore excursions. When it came time to talk about the excursion we had picked (a boat-ride to the Virgin Gorda Baths along with snorkeling), the presenter said that it was for "experienced, active snorkelers". I spent all night waking every half-hour from dreams about being thrown overboard and then having to grade a Java function one of my students had written. I don't know which was worse.
Our son, Judah, and daughter-in-law, Mari Kristin, drove us up to LAX to catch our flight to Atlanta, then, on to Puerto Rico. There was almost no traffic so it took us only about 45 minutes. We'd printed our boarding passes at home before we left, so we didn't need to check in at the airport either.
Security went fairly quick and so, before 10 pm we were sitting at the gate, waiting for a flight. We thought about getting something to eat, but the concessions at LAX are pretty limited, compared to other airports. Specifically, there didn't seem to be a Starbucks. (What's up with that?)
Our flight left right on time at 11:55 and the flight was as uneventful as a flight in Coach can be. This was a 767, so the side isles have only two seats. That meant that Kathy and I got our own row. Kathy slept a little, and I slept a very little. We touched down in Atlanta at 6:00.
Our connection to San Juan PR left at 8:30 am, so we went looking for breakfast. Unlike LAX, the Atlanta airport was chock-full of choices, from Dunkin' Donuts to Starbucks. We has a "southern" breakfast at Pashcals: scrambled eggs, grits, biscuits, home fries, bacon, and a giant smokey sausage link. I thought it was great.
Our flight to San Juan was on an older 737 with 3 seats on each side. Like our red-eye into Atlanta, it was also completely full. It also felt a little precarious both taking off and landing; it made a lot more non-engine noise when taking off, and, when landing it seemed to scoot across the runway a little crab-like when it hit.
In San Juan the cruise-ship transfer bus was waiting and we were able to get right on. By 1:30 we were unpacking in our stateroom, and headed up for lunch. We really didn't get much sleep on the plane so both of us felt like the walking dead. We considered getting a taxi and going across the bay to see Old San Juan, but that was more than we could handle.
Life-boat drill was at 5:30, dinner at 6:30, bed at 8:00. We watched the shipboard TV presentation about each of tomorrow's shore excursions. When it came time to talk about the excursion we had picked (a boat-ride to the Virgin Gorda Baths along with snorkeling), the presenter said that it was for "experienced, active snorkelers". I spent all night waking every half-hour from dreams about being thrown overboard and then having to grade a Java function one of my students had written. I don't know which was worse.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Leaving on a Jet Plane (Again!)
Well folks, it's been a while, but I'll have a few new posts. In about 9 hours Kathy and I are leaving on the "red-eye" to San Juan Puerto Rico, where we'll embark on a 10-day cruise around the eastern Caribbean on the Celebrity Millennium. This is our first extended vacation since Europe, and I think we'll have a lot of fun.
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