Winter escape

It's been a long time since I've had time to post. Home renovations kept me busy. Last week we took a break and went for a Caribbean Cruise. Not really my kind of holiday, but we were joining friends in scattering a departed friend's ashes in the warm tropical islands. It turned out to be lovely, the sun shone all day, the waters were warm and clear, islands beautiful and company terrific. We avoided the casinos, the shake n bake near the pool etc and enjoyed exploring the islands and sipping wine on our balcony while watching sunsets over the sea.

We visited San Juan, St. Thomas USVI, Tortola BVI, Antigua, Dominica and Barbados.

Smuggler's Cove Tortola

St. Thomas, Tortola and Barbados are well known to us and we enjoyed them again.

Antigua and Dominica were new to me and were very beautiful. Dominica is lush and mountainous and relatively untouched as the black volcanic sand beaches are not what the tourists like. It suited us just fine, many birds, butterflies, rivers, waterfalls, fumeroles, orchids and thick tropical forests. A river for every day of the year.

Roseau, Dominica

Frangipani Hornworm

Bougainvillae

Orchids hanging on lianas

Antigua was somewhat flatter and more arid with many cacti, century plants, scenic views, historical sights and a beach for every day of the year. Very pretty with tons of very expensive sailboats to make us envious.

We visited the old city of San Juan (Puerto Rico) with very old spanish architecture. We enjoyed regional fare in a local restaurant.

A highlight was seeing White-tailed Tropicbirds, Northern Gannets, Brown Boobies, Great Frigatebirds and Sooty Terns while at sea.
Now it's back to the realities of a Canadian winter, albeit a very mild one with little snow. I miss the warm humid tropical air with the scent of flowers and the briny sea. Ahh....