A few weeks ago, Nikki and I took a cruise to the Caribbean. It was an awesome trip and we had a great time. Nikki’s mom was very gracious in offering to watch Eva for the week while we were gone. This was actually our third cruise together to the Caribbean, but we ended up stopping at a number of islands we’d never been to before. We sailed out of San Juan and stopped in Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Thomas. We’d only been to St. Thomas before. Technically we’ve been to San Juan too, but we didn’t really spend any time there.
Nikki and I aren’t much for just sitting on a boat or a beach all day for a vacation – one day, maybe two days of that at most. We were pretty eager to get out and see the islands.
The first stop was Aruba where we took a 4WD off-road tour of some of the island. We grouped up with other people and went six people per Land Rover. After riding for a while on paved roads, we soon got to dirt and gravel, and eventually got to unmaintained stretches of steep grades with deep ruts and microwave oven-sized boulders. It was bumpy and a lot of fun. Our end destination was Aruba’s Natural Pool, which is a small section of water guarded from the ocean by large boulders and walls of rock. The ocean splashes and sprays into the pool and it is safe enough to swim in. We didn’t have much time there but enjoyed the swim.
After the off road tour, we did a little shopping and came across a local artist who was selling some photographs and we bought one of them. Most of the “shopping” on the islands is composed of knick-knacks and very souvenir-y merchandise, and we try hard to seek out some more genuine, local items.
The next day we arrived in Bonaire where we did some snorkeling. Bonaire is supposedly one of the best destinations worldwide for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. We boarded a boat named the “Sea Cow” which was aptly painted like a Holstein. Despite the corny boat experience, the snorkeling guides were excellent. We stopped in two snorkeling spots for 45 minutes each. The first one was great. The 2nd one was ok, but it had become a bit overcast and actually rained a little bit. Not so bad when you’re already wet and in the water though. We bought water-proof camera beforehand and were able to snap a few pictures under water.
After Bonaire we headed to Grenada, which was very lush and mountainous. We went up to about 2000 feet above sea level, where we then set on foot for a 30-minute hike to the Seven Sisters Waterfalls, which are two fresh-water waterfalls that empty into a couple of pools that you can swim in. The hike was great and swimming in the pools was a blast. A couple of locals at the falls did flips off the top for tips. Along the hike, our guide showed us Nutmeg trees and other plant life that Grenada uses for spices, which are one its main exports.
Next we headed to Dominica, which was our favorite stop on the trip. Dominica was much like Grenada in that it was mountainous and full of green. After another steep drive up to the mountains, we got out and took a short hike to Trafalgar Falls – a big kid version of the Seven Sisters falls. The forest was very humid and lush and it reminded us a lot of hikes back home in Minnesota in the summer.
After stopping at Trafalgar Falls, we drove some more to a trail that led to Titou Gorge. The gorge is yet another fresh water river where you can swim. Swimming in between two towering rock walls with the sunlight poking through up above looked fantastic. At the end of the gorge is a small waterfall where the water comes in – where we jumped off and swam back. Titou Gorge is actually the setting of one of the scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean II. We brought the water-proof camera again and took some more pictures.
The next day, we headed to St. Thomas and had a beach day at Koki Beach. It was our last day of the cruise and just went lazy. In hindsight we wished we would have gone to the beach at Magens Bay, but we still had a great time. We brought what film we had left in our water proof camera, swam a little and took pictures, then headed back to the port to do a little shopping.
Each day after we got back from being on shore, we usually gobbled down a late afternoon snack (usually consisting of a couple of pieces of pizza or a burger). We found ourselves pretty hungry after our island outings. Our dinners were at 8:15 each night, which gave us plenty of time for eating earlier in the day. There were two other people at our dinner table: Randy and Michelle from Dallas. It turns out that Michelle went to high school with Darrell and Vinny Paul Abbott of Pantera, but that is a different story… Randy and Michelle were a blast to talk with and have dinner with each night.
Below are some dinner-related pics. The guy in the tux is Niki – our waiter from Bulgaria.
Overall the trip was memorable and we had a fantastic time. This one will be hard to beat!