Caribbean Cruise Part 2

Day 3 - Aruba

Aruba

I woke up and looked outside at the beautiful turquoise water of Aruba! Hello, Caribbean!! It was great! I hurried and went to have breakfast and then came back and grabbed my scuba gear and headed down to get off the boat and get to the meeting place.

Of note - the previous afternoon at lunch, we'd heard this man talking and talking and talking with the most unpleasant voice! I'm not sure what it was, maybe it was because it was so high, but it just was harsh on the ears! I noticed he had a scuba shirt on and sure enough, he was there in that group the next morning! I ran into him several times and he was quite nice after all, not just when diving, but oh, that voice!!

So at 8:30 AM, we found out that scuba in Aruba was cancelled due to poor visibility. :-( Guess I won't get to see the Antilla wreck this time! I picked up my stuff and headed back to the boat to go wake Velva up. She wanted breakfast so that took a little while longer but eventually we got going and headed to Oranjestad.

The part we saw was super commercial, with TONS of jewelry stores. Diamonds everywhere! Just for fun, I tried on one super sparkler with 92 facets! I'm sure it would blind someone if worn outside! Unfortunately I didn't know Mom's ring size so I didn't buy her any. :-) We saw several familiar luxury brand stores as well as some we'd never heard of, Velva found a Starbucks, and I headed to the Aruba Aloe store - just in case!

I thought I'd really like Aruba but for some reason, I wasn't all that excited about it. I was glad we were cruising and not staying there for an entire week.

Back on the boat, we went to the buffet. I went with chicken, salad, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Yum! Then we headed aft (to the back of the boat) to the Terrace Pool, which was also for adults only, and I found an empty lounge chair at the very back, facing the railing. I wound up sitting next to a couple from England that had gotten married the previous day (the boat has a chapel) and also next to George & Alma from Indiana. :-) They asked me a rather odd question: "Are you naturally that pale?"!! They were worried I might burn, I guess! Anyhow, they were amusing and I ran into them several times throughout the cruise :-) I stayed out there and watched as the ship pulled away and headed to Bonaire.

We went to supper and this night I had fajitas! Velva had something seafood in nature. After dinner we went to the show, which was something about dancing. It was pretty good, and I was impressed with the dancers and singers. Afterwards, they were having a salsa (dancing) deal up in the Sanctuary, so Velva and I went up there to watch and it was pretty amusing but also impressive, seeing some of those old couples move! No tight hips there!

Day 4 - Bonaire

Bonaire diving November 2010

Now Bonaire, on the other hand ... I could spend a week here! Most of that time, of course, underwater! Oh man, the diving - the reason I was so excited about this particular cruise itinerary - was awesome!! No current, no waves on the surface, 85 degree water with 70+ foot visibility ... just perfect!!

The setup was great too - we walked off the boat, down the dock to land, crossed the street, and into the dive shop. Got our gear, then walked back across the street to a small wood pier, got on the Sea Dragon, and off we went! The dive company was Dive Friends Bonaire.

I took several photos with my new camera and its underwater case, and I was relieved it didn't malfunction and ruin the camera and I was excited that my pics actually turned out!! It's SUCH an improvement over those disposable underwater cameras! I'd come back with entire rolls of photos of water because the viewfinder was worthless!

I had fun taking video as well as pictures, and had to sometimes remind myself to stop taking pictures and enjoy the dive and the scenery!

All too soon, we had to come back up and get back in the boat and ride to shore. I did a speed walk into town to buy some postcards and a magnet and a stuffed pink flamingo for Mom (she hates them), and then back to the ship for lunch, burger from Trident Grill, and a shower and a nap! Yay! In the afternoon Velva and I went to a beauty seminar (snort) and then I went out to the balcony to review my pictures and enjoy the weather while we set sail for the long journey towards our next island. It was so relaxing just zoning out and hearing the sound of the water hitting the boat, hearing the sea spray several feet below. Aaaah. I finished the book I was reading (The Lost Symbol), and then got really hungry so at 11 PM I went up to the buffet and ate some grapes and then came back downstairs and went to bed! It's almost as good as being at home!