Day 72 continued

 

Day 72 Curacao

We arrived at the picturesque city of Curacao early this morning, it was only a short walk to the main streets. We walked over the Queen Emma pontoon bridge, quite a construction. It swings open to allow passing boats and does this even when people are walking over it. There is a strong Dutch connection here and our Tuk Tuk driver told us that the election is soon and will decide whether Curacao stays with the Dutch or becomes independent. Pretty as a picture with all the colourful houses and buildings, there is a large paint store here and everyone is encouraged to use any and every colour. Also we noticed the cleanliness, no rubbish anywhere and we saw people sweeping up all over. As it was Sunday, a lot of the shops etc were closed but it was nice to walk around. We came across a little bar/eatery along a back street and it was right on the water front. I think we were the first customers for the day, so we had our beers with the eels swimming below us!

The Tuk Tuk driver was very proud of his lovely country and gave us a guided tour.

Curacao is famous for the liqueur so we had to sample some....very nice and the it is available in many colours too.

An update on our situation yesterday...3 hours later the power came on! It was a very long 3 hours though and chaos reigned. There were no clean plates at the Buffet so that was closed down. toilets were closed too, lifts didn't work either. Our toilet did not work till 6 p.m....9 hours for us. Oh but El Captain was most kind and gave us all a free glass of vinegar, oops I mean wine at dinner. This certainly made all the difference!!

Today all is well and fingers crossed it continues. The Panama Canal is coming up and we will have to secure our viewing seats for that. There have been fights in the past we have heard!!

Day 70 Barbados & Day 71 chaos

I sit here, the day after Barbados, on the floor outside our cabin! Let me explain....we have NO POWER ANYWHERE ON THE SHIP! No water, no toilets absolutely zilch. El Captain, a man of few words, has made 3 announcements basically saying nothing as usual. And its hot and Princess still want to charge us for bottled water, I can feel a mutiny coming on. So don't know when this blog will send but anyway here goes.

Barbados was very interesting. It's a bigger version of Antigua, busy place and friendly people. We caught the free shuttle to the end of the dock then a another van to the town. It only cost us $2 each and it reaffirmed our decision NOT to hire a car or a bike as there are no road rules but everyone does drive slowly. We have even become adept at crossing the roads in the Carribean....just walk and the cars stop, well they have so far. The shopping is mainly Duty Free but it wasn't cheap at all. We did buy some of my new favourite drink...Rum Punch!

We walked for a fair distance and eventually came to The BoatYard Beach Resort. The deal was for $10 each we got entry, a lounge chair and umbrella and a free Rum Punch right on the beach. A private oasis really. The place was buzzing and a great atmosphere. We spent about 3 hours just soaking up the sun (under the shade) and having a swim in in The Carribean. How good is that. So there we were in the ocean and as per usual for us lately, the rain came. It bucketed down and we ran for the cover of the bar. Another few drinks and we caught the free bus back to the ship.

Last night we had a Carribean party on the top deck. It was the second best night, the first being the Beatles party. It was great fun, everyone was dancing and having a ball.

So I am now finished this entry and we still are floating aimlessly at sea, thank goodness its not in the Gulf of Aiden where the pirates hide out. It did happen there to a lesser extent as we had lights and toilets that time.  Rumours are flying thick and fast now...will we make it any further after L.A. Keep you posted!! 

Day 70 continued