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The Unexplored Antigua and St. Lucia

Any vacation, even one that includes riding the high seas comfortably on a luxury ship, can take its toll. When you have only a day to spend at each port, you try and squeeze in as much as you can into those few hours because, letโ€™s be honest, the chances that you will fly half way across the world to visit the same place again are pretty slim.

The โ€œAt Seaโ€ days might sound relaxing, but with the barrage of activities that are planned on-board, you donโ€™t get time to even eat and end up running around trying to participate in as many activities as you can – Cricket in the morning, dance classes with the misses in the afternoon, movie quiz somewhere in between, and then there are shows to see, food to eat, swimming to be done, and the list goes on.

The problem though is that you donโ€™t realize how tired you are till the time you finally return back to the cabin in order to take what is supposed to be a breather, a quick nap, but end up waking the next morning.

Eventually, everything catches up – just as it does in life (how’s that for a little cruise philosophy)ย and the only way to rejuvenate is to finally hold back, rethink your priorities, and skip going out on some of the port days.

Antigua gave us no choice.

Intermittent heavy rains made us cross off going to the beach and sitting in a taxi and heading for an adventure seemed too tedious at this stage in the cruise.

Thus, it was decided that all of us – yes, no matter the age, we were all in the same state of mind – will simply stay at the port and drink some beer (before you go nuts on me, the kid had juice).

I would however like to mention that Antigua boasts of having 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. I say, give me a year-long visa and the number of a winning lottery first, and then we will talk.

Even though I don’t regret staying back and not exploring Antigua – I was already suffering from the “too many beaches in too short a time”syndrome – it was a little disappointing to witnessย St. Johnโ€™s Bay fill up – from our cabin balcony – with what I can only assume was waste from the docked ships as they wereย cleaned. Everything has its consequences and it’s at least good to know how and what you contribute, even if unknowingly, so as to make an informed decision the next time over.

Luckily, as the skies cleared up above us and the wasteย settled down below, a beautiful rainbow, followed by an equally gorgeous sunset, was all it took to bring the day to a gorgeous end.

St. Lucia on the other hand turned out to be aย saviour because when we started the day we were unawareย of the ordeal we would face over the next two days as we made our way back from the vacation. Delayed flights and heavy snowfall in England meant we’d had to spend the night at the Airport, and the unplanned rest we got at St. Lucia was eventually welcomed in the end.

Since St. Lucia was our last destination on the cruise, there was mellowed excitement all around. Passengers strolled off the boatย half-a-heart filled with melancholy as they would soon be returning to their daily grinds, while the other half was enthusiastic to make the most of whatever time was left in the Caribbean.

We did make it to the beach in St. Lucia; The taxi took us to a hotel where we passed through the reception in order to get to a beautiful public beach. Sadly, some rather strong waves scared our little one to the extent that after only an hour we scrapped the idea of spending all-day at the beach and instead spent a couple of hours at the shops before heading back to the ship where we spent time watching airplanes land at the nearby airport and waving at the various catamaran cruises departing and arriving, carrying fellow cruise passengers.

As the day came to an end, the end of this little adventure finally dawned on my mind (as it does once again when I write this last post from the series). Iย began to pack with a heavy heart. It had been an eventful 14 days and we – as a family – had seen a part of the world, so far away from our everyday lives, that was vibrant, green, warm, and colouful, filled with escapades and encounters that we all got to share together. The excitement of waking up in a brand new place each day and the pleasure of living it up was everything that travel should be about.

As the timeย forย bed arrived with the opportunity to catch a falling star that would hopefully take me to another part of the world where once again I can gather Captivating memories, similar to the ones I had accumulated in the Caribbean, I was happy for these memories will, and have, remained a part of me for years to come.

20 Comments

  • swedeinbarca
    Posted 8 January, 17 at 2:47 PM

    That looks amazing!

    Reply
  • arv!
    Posted 8 January, 17 at 6:42 PM

    Beautiful pictures. The picture of life guard watch tower and beer are so symbolic of the place and holiday.
    You rightly said that too many things to do on a holiday wear you out. Ain’t that a perfect reason for another holiday? ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 8 January, 17 at 7:40 PM

      Thanks and those are two of my favourites too. As to being worn out, I think we all always need a vacation from a vacation from a vacation from a vacation…

      Reply
      • arv!
        Posted 8 January, 17 at 9:43 PM

        Ha ha! That’s always the case when you party on a holiday! ๐Ÿ˜‰

        Reply
  • Cherryl
    Posted 9 January, 17 at 10:51 PM

    Awww, considering you were only on these islands for a day, you had some unfortunate weather this time, though I do love a good storm (sitting and watching the rain and angry waves – better than Netflix for me!) and the moody grey photographs are beautiful in their own way. Glad you gathered some happy memories, that’s what it’s all about.

    I haven’t been to St Lucia but would love to – never heard anything but good things. If you travelled during the caribbean hurricane season I guess the weather is a gamble but you never know when a rainy day will strike anywhere really. Happy travels. ๐Ÿ˜Š

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 10 January, 17 at 11:06 AM

      It was around this time, so winter in this part of the world but summer-ish there. It wasn’t hurricane season so we were lucky. It just happened to rain a lot that day, but yeah weather is always a gamble. Thanks

      Reply
  • Iris and The Very Hungry Entourage
    Posted 9 January, 17 at 11:30 PM

    What an adventure!

    Reply
  • usfman
    Posted 10 January, 17 at 5:07 AM

    Wonderful pictures. Onboard cruise activities can never replace my will to spend as much time as possible exploring off the ship.

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 10 January, 17 at 11:04 AM

      You know, it would seem like that but once you are there and there are so many options and the chance to meet and interact with people of all ages from around the world, it’s a brilliant exercise in itself. Thanks

      Reply
  • What's Katie Doing?
    Posted 10 January, 17 at 4:55 PM

    I love the Caribbean – but I’ve yet to do a cruise there, it must be a good thing to do to see lots of places.

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 10 January, 17 at 4:57 PM

      Yes and it worked well for us because being in India, travelling all the way to Caribbean is quite a task. Thanks

      Reply
  • cruiseplannersctwv
    Posted 16 January, 17 at 4:03 AM

    And enjoyable read with fabulous pictures

    Reply
  • itisalldreams
    Posted 23 January, 17 at 12:03 AM

    Just came here after you commented on my blog post about Antigua . It is a shame you didn’t have a better experience in Antigua. I loved it there. But the weather can really change the Caribbean. I have also been to St Lucia and can share your opinion on the island. Glad you had an overall good time in the Caribbean thoigh

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 23 January, 17 at 12:19 AM

      Yeah it’s one of those things when towards the end of the cruise the days catch up finally. Also the weather on top of that made if difficult. Still I don’t regret being there just that I wish I could have explored it more.

      Reply
  • coloradotravelingducks
    Posted 26 January, 17 at 8:25 AM

    Thanks for following our blog. I enjoy reading yours. We are also following your blog and look forward to new posts.

    Reply
  • Erin Leigh Ever After
    Posted 14 April, 17 at 5:17 AM

    It’s a shame to hear about all the waste from the boats in Antigua! But at least that rainbow sure was beautiful. St. Lucia sounds like a dream as well. I can’t imagine stopping at so many beaches – I’m sure it gets tiring.

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 15 April, 17 at 4:06 PM

      Even though I love the beach, I’ll have to say it does get too much, maybe because you’re on sea the rest of the time. Still, beautiful islands.

      Reply

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