Caribbean Cruise 2008:
Day 5 - Barbados
Day 5 - Barbados
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008: We docked in Barbados next to a cargo container yard. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Maersk. Yet. |
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Barbados has a large passenger terminal with lots of shops inside, and a large plaza to meet tours in the back. After our tour, we picked up some Del Sol t-shirts, rum cakes, soaps, and a tiny bottle of Barbados rum. |
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Our shore excursion started with a five-minute van ride to the location where our power catamaran was docked. |
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We settled in quickly and we were off just in time to see a container ship pull away from the dock. |
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Zoom! With the speed on this boat, we left the Destiny behind in no time. |
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<Insert ominous foreshadowing music here> There was a rainstorm off on the horizon, but it was sunny where we were. Our guides served us tasty passion fruit juice. |
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Our first stop was Freshwater Bay, famous for daily visits from hawksbill and green turtles. |
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It looks like an ordinary beach except for the gathering of boats and snorkelers in the middle of the water. Let's join them, shall we? |
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We spotted a porcupinefish immediately, one of several swimming around this area. At this point, we identified every fish of this shape as a puffer fish, but we've since learned better since we've had a little book-larnin'. |
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Our guide had some delicious squid with him, and in no time, some beautiful green turtles showed up for a handout. |
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Of course, the fish are along to grab any leftovers. |
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We couldn't believe how many turtles we saw and how close we were to them. Our guides were careful to make sure everyone got to see turtles but also that no one was touching them or harassing them in any way. This is one of our favorite pictures of our trip. The green turtle's markings are amazing. |
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We were careful to give the turtles room to come up for air. |
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This hawksbill turtle's markings are a little more rugged than the green turtle and just as distinctive. |
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Here are a pair of hawskbills. |
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Back at the boat, Debbie paused for one of the more flattering photos ever taken of her. Sorry, guys, she's married. |
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Fast forward about a half hour to our next destination, Carlisle Bay. Not shown: flying across the ocean in a downpour. Fortunately, we were already wet from snorkeling and we were wearing our sturdy river-running hats that can keep any amount of water from ruining your day. |
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In these waters lie the wreck of the Berwyn, a ship that sank here in the early 1900s. |
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The ship is covered in coral and sponges, including this brown tube sponge. |
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We were unable to identify this floating organism. |
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These sergeant major fish are wondering if you're going to feed them. |
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The surface of the shipwreck is covered with living beings of all types. |
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Here's a colony of sun anemones. |
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Here's a chub checking out the shipwreck. We also saw a black and white striped eel but he was too far away for us to get a decent photo. |
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These sergeant majors are still hungry and still searching for food. |
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The bow of the ship is about 12 - 15 feet underwater, lying on a sandy bottom. |
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Next to it, the anchor continues to do its duty to hold the ship in place. |
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Back in the boat, it's time for rum punch and another self-portrait. |
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The sky to the north over Bridgetown was gorgeous, with blue skies and sunlight breaking through the stormclouds. |
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Our last stop was on the beach in Carlisle Bay for a little bit of splashing in the surf. |
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The water was crystal clear on top of the softest sand ever. |
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We zoomed past the Boatyard, a beach club we had read about before our visit. We'll have to check it out if we come back, which we just might do because we really enjoyed Barbados. |
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Bridgetown looks like a pleasant little town, but it was hard to see too much as we zoomed by. Next time, perhaps. |
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It's always cool to see the ship move away from the dock, churning up the water below. |
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During sail out, we got a better look at that container yard next to us. It turns out that there was plenty of Maersk to be found if you looked carefully. |
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Since Barbados was our eastern-most port, we headed west into the sunset toward our next destination. |
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Let's talk a little about dinner on Carnival. Other cruise lines offer four courses (appetizer, soup/salad, entree, dessert), where Carnival only offers three -- they combine appetizers, soups, and salads into one "Starters" course, so that was a little disappointing. However, we were just as impressed by Carnival's food as we are by Holland America and Celebrity, our two favorite cruise lines. This sushi appetizer was beautifully plated and incredibly tasty. We were also impressed by our waiter, Uberney, and assistant waiter, Florentino, for their ability to remember our preferences after one night. We hadn't seen that since our beloved waiter Judi on our first Holland America cruise in 2002. |
Copyright © Deborah Schilling/Thomas Bundy