Piya's Perspective

I heard about the snow storm while on the cruise.  I didn’t realize just how bad it was – until I got back home.  I hear from coworkers they were sitting in traffic for 4.5 – 5 hours or walking home uphill in multiple inches of snow.  Where was I?  Enjoying the highlight of my trip – that beach in Antigua.

What else did I do on my trip?

San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Realized once on shore that I stopped here on my other Carribbean cruise.  It was raining last time, so we only walked the pier before returning.  This time Ari went walking with his dad, while my parents and I took Simeon for a stroll and a bit of shopping.  I had hoped to catch a horse and carriage ride with Ari after dinner but they were shut down by then.  Instead, we took a nice walk, just the two of us.  Found a couple stores still open – including Chavin Cotton.  So soft and comfortable and light.  There was an adorable hooded sweatshirt for Simeon with animals, but a) it was white and b) it was hand-wash.  That’s all I need to say.

St. Thomas.  This island is for experiencing oceanlife or buying jewelry.  My dad took the opportunity to go scuba diving.  Ari’s dad went for a walk on a Water Island.  The rest of us went jewelry shopping.  The district is littered with jewelry stores, but Ari’s mom discovered Omni years ago and continues to go there.  Even Simeon got a piece this time – an adorable ID bracelet from Ari’s mom. I wanted to take Simeon to a beach that afternoon, but did not plan accordingly.  I would make sure to rectify that.

Antigua.  We made up for not taking a taxi tour of San Juan and missing the beach in St. Thomas.  A 2.5 hour taxi tour showed us the island of Antigua.  We stopped at all the major tourist highlights and Ari, Simeon, my dad and I stopped at the beach for awhile – as I may have mentioned…

Tortola.  Went on a dolphin excursion with my mom.  Quite disappointing.  I expected at least a little show.  All we saw was fellow cruise travellers getting to play.  Got back to the ship and then stuck to the local shopping area.

Nassau, Bahamas.  This had the feeling of used car salesman.  Every type of transportation available and doing what they can to get you to use it.  Had to go through an obstacle course, just to get beyond the entry area.  After a quick walk in the nearby shops, Ari, Simeon and I went off to Paradise Island in search of a beach.  After asking directions 5 or 6 times and walking, what seemed, half a mile.  We finally made it.  Not as nice as Antigua.  Rough waves, cold water, and more people than beach.  Simeon played in the sand a bit, and very quickly Ari and I were ready to head back.

Cruise / At Sea – Most of the cruise was spent in the cabin or in the dining areas.  Managed to get into a hot tub a couple times and get through most of my book.

Ft. Lauderdale – After saying goodbye to my in-laws, dinner was at Ben’s with S&B and my cousins S&R.

I’m definitely getting a better idea of what I want to do on these islands.  Next time, I’ll get a tour of San Juan, get in the water and get more jewelry in St. Thomas, hit the beach in Antigua, check out some hiking in Tortola and either experience Paradise Island village or find another part of the Bahamas not trying to be commercialized America.