Carribbean Dreamin' - Part Two

Our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We were both very impressed by Puerto Rico, and both of us said we would like to return there for a longer visit. The majority of our visit was spent at the fort at El Morro. Another item my father can identify at a moment's notice is any sort of weaponry. Again, in his honor, here I am standing next to a big rusty gun. Could have been shot by Spaniards in the 13th century, could have been shot by the Chinese during the Ming dynasty. I know not which.

Erin thinking "Hmm...How could I manage to leave him here..."

Here are some views of San Juan from El Morro, and a look back at the fort.







I found it distressingly funny that in Spanish, Christopher Columbus's name is "Colon." I suspect that's exactly where some percentage of the disease he left spread across the New World probably originated.

After leaving San Juan, we sailed to the tiny island of Antigua, pronounced "Ann-tee-guh" for anyone who's interested. Apparently we English types mispronounced the name initially and given that we're white Westerners, we made sure our mispronounced name was the one that stuck. Antigua was very beautiful, but also very poor. The islanders proclaim that they have "365 beaches" which in reality means you divide up any given stretch of beach into 10 foot sections and call it three beaches, but at least it gives them a slogan. We took a tour of the island, which was very interesting. We drove to the top of island which provided amazing views of the coast. At one point I noticed what looked like a prison or fortress off in the distance, so I asked our tour guide what it was. "Dat's Erk Klahptun's house, yah?" After scratching my head for a moment, he said "Jew no, duh geetah player?" As it turns out, Eric Clapton found the poorest island he could find and bought one entire end of it. He then built himself a massive house with unbelieveable views. You can see it in the distance here.

"Dis'll be da best pick cha of you vacation."

After taking in Mr. Clapton's house for a few moments, I turned the other direction and spied a row of red roofs off in the distance in the hills. Again, I inquired. "Dat's Whitney Houston's place, yah?" Lovely. Below her home in this picture is the Sandals resort. These three structures are very nearly the only signs of wealth in Antigua.

The next port of call was St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Thomas is known as the shopping capital of the Eastern Carribbean, and it also features several breathtaking beaches. We spent a couple of hours traversing the narrow shopping streets before boarding a tour of the island, courtesy of Sunny Liston Tour's (no, not the boxer). We drove to the top of the island where there's a bar dishing out their famous $8 banana daiquiris. The drive itself was moderately terrifying. The tour companies in St. Thomas all feature Ford F-350 pickup trucks with benches mounted in the back for your viewing pleasure. In the continental U.S., the practice of allowing individuals to legally ride around in the bed of a pickup truck was long ago outlawed. But in the sunny Carribbean, you can still enjoy the opportunity to be ejected to your death while cornering at high speeds.





Here's a view of the famous Magen's Bay beach. Very picturesque.

The island off in the distance is currently for sale. Perhaps another faded rock star will make an offer.

At the end of the day, we stopped for a bite to eat and a chance to hang out at Sapphire Beach. This was my favorite of the beaches we saw, as it offered crystal clear water and great views of the surrounding islands. During lunch, Erin made some new friends (about 30, actually). These are either iquanas, geckoes or gila monsters. Again, I know not which.

Here are some final views from the beach. All in all, it was a great vacation. We knew when we returned that Grant would be along shortly. In one week, it seems that much of life prior to him is a distant memory.

One last note. This final couple picture was taken by a gentleman who wandered up to us with his family and said, "Hey look. It's those two crazy newlyweds from the boat! Do you two need some privacy?" Oy.