Chilean Fjords & Penguins

February 19, 2009

Another amazing day aboard the Regent Mariner. We are at this moment making our way around the southern most island of South America, known as Cape Horn. The seas are relatively calm, and the sun is just beginning to set. The seas can be extremely rough because of the confluence of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Our onboard guide said that in her 35 times around the horn this is most scenic and the most ideal conditions. I still have to pinch myself that we are here. There is a lonely lighthouse on the island called Cape Horn, with a family including two small children living there. Our Chilean Pilot came on board there. We feel like we are truly at the end of the earth.

February 24, 2009

Don’t know why I was interrupted in the last posting, but I have been sick and now Ronnie has a cold. Thankfully I am pretty well recovered, but Ronnie has it worse than I did. When we were in Punta Arenas in Argentina we thankfully did purchase some decongestant pills and they have helped. The most impressive part of the last few days has been the visits to the fiords and the massive glaciers in this far southern reach. At Cape Horn we were not that far from Antarctica, so even though it is summer here, it has been truly COLD. I am glad I brought a number of long sleeve shirts, fleece, coat, hat and scarf. Despite the cold, we go out on the deck or our balcony to see these amazing glaciers, looking quite blue in color and sometimes touching the water (they are called tide water glaciers when they come down to the sea). We did see one with some ice breaking off (called calving) and you could hear a crack like a loud explosion when the ice breaks off and falls into the sea.

We visited two more communities in this region, one called Ushuaia, Argentina with the distinction of being the southern most city in the world. Port Williams in Chile is further south, but it is too small to be called a city. We walked all over the downtown area, although when we went ashore at a little after 9:00 a.m. there was not much open. By the time we went back to the ship a little after noon, most of the stores were open, and the business area (mostly one long street) was pretty full of people. The ship was docked just a few blocks from this area. We walked to the local museum, which was basically an abandoned prison. When we were ready to go in until we found that they wanted close to $20 a person to go in. Seemed pretty steep for what it was, so we had some fun looking in the windows and saying, “OK, we’ve seen it.” From what people said who did go in, we made the right decision. We did find some interesting local crafts, especially sweaters and penguins made from the Argentine national stone, Rhodacrosyte, which has a beautiful rose color. Naturally I couldn’t resist, although I got fixated on finding one with his nose up in the air, since that was what impressed me about the penguins we saw on the Falkland Islands. The ones we saw were either two expensive or not looking up, so I pretty much had given up.

Ronnie decided to go back to the ship while I checked out a couple of more places. On the dock on the way back to the ship there were a few more shops, and I became immediately excited when I saw a penguin that met my criteria. I started talking to one of the sales clerks when another one came up to me and said, “You are Don, aren’t you?” I was a bit taken a back wondering how she could possibly know my name. She went on to say, “I can’t sell to you.” Say what? Her English was actually quite good for the area, where few people are able to do much more than telling you how much something costs. Finally, I came to understand that a certain short gray haired lady had been in the store before me and had made this poor lady swear she would sell me nothing. If you suspected that Ronnie had already bought me a penguin, you would be correct.

The other town we visited was our first Chilean port, Punta Arenas, which I mentioned above. We were able to dock here as well, and it was not a long walk to the town, but because it was a Sunday, it was pretty well shut down. The town square had a craft market, with a few stalls open when we arrived and a lot more later. We walked up the hill to a look out which had a nice view of the town and a few craft vendors there as well. On the ship we had heard about a duty free zone mall a ways from the downtown. We decided to try to walk, which turned out to be a big mistake. It was longer than we anticipated and it was a bleak walk through a mostly run down part of town, mostly small one story buildings (some homes and some businesses), and nothing higher than 3 stories. The street was wide with a median in the middle and occasional play areas in the median.

Finally we arrived at this large strange looking store area behind a high fence. We walked through a gated entry with a policeman who paid no attention to us. We went into two large stores that reminded us of Walmart, and we decided against the cute refrigerator we found there. All the other stores in this zone were closed, but we stumbled into the actual indoor mall area, which was quite large. We had been told that the stores in the mall would be open despite it being a Sunday, but guess what: they were not. Everything closed. The best thing about this little side trip was the taxi driver who drove us back to town. He spoke almost no English but he was the most cheerful fellow you can imagine, smiling and laughing the whole time. We showed him where we wanted to go on the map, and we all laughed at our inability to communicate. We somehow agreed on a price of $5 to go back to town (he did seem to understand “dollar”), and it was so worth the extra dollar we gave him to see the appreciation on his face.
Back at the main square we ran into some of our friends on a bus tour from the ship, and we did buy a few more small items at the craft market and guess what, yes, more penguins, these made of the Chilean stone, lapis lazuli. We now have a little penguin family!

All right, I have not mentioned Ronnie’s crowing glory, being introduced to and sitting with THE COACH at an evening joke telling session. Then, I took her picture with Don Shula the next morning as he gave a talk on the principles of leadership. Ronnie was able to see and touch the coach’s Superbowl ring, and got a signed card from him as well. He did a Q & A a couple of days later after showing an ESPN video about the perfect season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

For me, the attendance at both daily devotions and Sunday worship has increased, and I actually did an Episcopal Communion service last Sunday. And tomorrow Father Tom (reminder – the Roman Catholic priest) and I will do a joint Ash Wednesday service with blessing and distribution of ashes.

Hard to believe that next weekend is the end of the second segment, and we will miss some good friends we have made among those who are departing. Also hard to believe that our cruise is one quarter over. The good thing is that we have really begun to feel a part of things on this ship. The food continues to be incredibly good and the portions in the main dining room are reasonable size. Even though we have bouts of missing our home, we do feel at home here on the Regent Mariner, and feel thankful that God led us to this particular ship.

February 17, 2009

Yesterday we docked around 9 a.m. in a small and little know Argentine city called Puerto Madryn. I find out if I am assigned to escort an excursion usually late on the night before we dock, and sure enough, I was assigned to one at this port, described as “Punta Loma, Puerto Madryn and Welsh Tea. Welsh Tea, you say? Yes, surprisingly there is a settled of Welsh people in this rather desolate southern section of Argentina called Patagonia. Ronnie did not have a strong interest in the tour, so we decided not to spend the money for her to go and she hooked up with one of the ladies that teaches arts and crafts and walked into the town.

I appeared early for my escort assignment as I always do, and found that the boat, while docked, was having trouble securing the gangway because of the high winds. After about 45 minutes we finally left, my group following along as I held up my sign with a large 10 on it to indicate the number of our bus. One of my assignments as an escort, aside from holding the sign and counting heads, is to fill out a report rating the excursion, the tour guide, and the driver. I always introduce myself to the tour guide (pretty obvious with my sign, Regent shirt, and name tag – p.s. the first shirt I checked out had no buttons thereby exposing a lot of skin, so I ended up sewing on a button so I wouldn’t look like I was out to pick up the ladies!), and write down his or her full name along with the name of the driver. Of course they know I am rating them, so even though I am this lowly head counter, the guides tend to pay a lot of attention to me. So far all the local guides that we have had on the tours I have escorted have been excellent. This one was no exception, except that she was a little hard to understand. Her English was quite good, but her accent was quite strong. But it was her enthusiasm that won us over right away, and the other tour participants and I could not help being captivated by her.

I did not realize how desolate the Patagonia would be until we started driving to this look out where we were to see sea lions and penguin like birds (called rock shags) in the Punta Loma preserve. We bumped along in our small bus (which held about 20 – there were 19 of us including the guide, driver and me) over incredibly dusty dirt roads and I kept wondering if the bus was going to hold together. It did, but the ride to this preserve to see one sea lion in the water some 100+ feet below us was not my favorite experience of the trip. The rock shags were actually more interesting with a colony of 60 or so ringing the rocks above the shore. Some were less than 20 feet away from us. They are black and white with web feet and are able to both fly, dive and swim in the water with their web feet.

We then drove about 30 miles through this desolate terrain (the soil unable to sustain crops and the climate so dry that dust is always in your face) to the remains of the Welsh settlement in a town called Gaiman. Gaiman is a kind of oasis in the middle of this arid countryside, mostly because it is on the only river that goes through the area. The early settles were smart enough to divert the water and build small canals in many parts of the town. We stopped at a Welsh Tea House and had a version of high tea, with small cheese sandwiches and lots of tantalizing sweets, and of course, British tea. To be honest, the people there are not really Welsh anymore but because they are descendants of the Welsh settlers they do carry on some of the traditions of their ancestors, including the music, and some do still speak Welsh along with Spanish. One of the local choirs came to sing for us, and they performed beautifully versions of both Welsh and Argentine choral music. My favorite was Cwm Rhondda, the tune we use for several of our great hymns including “God of grace and God of glory” and “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah.” We were supposed to visit a Welsh chapel, but for some reason the tour guide told me they were told not to include that, and she said that the couple of chapels that still exist are used only once a year.

We had a brief tour around the town when we returned to Puerto Madryn, which felt and looked mostly deserted. Ronnie really enjoyed her time there, but by the time I returned from my excursion, most everything was closed. They have rather odd opening hours of 9 a.m. to noon, and then 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. However, a few shops were open and Ronnie and I both found some local craft items that were quite reasonably priced.

The entertainment on the ship continues to be high quality, with two dinner shows, one called “Forbidden Broadway” on the first segment and the other “Tango” just a couple of nights ago. They flew in the cast of “Forbidden Broadway” from New York, and their spoofs of Broadway shows were creative and fun. But the Tango one, purporting to be a demonstrated history of Tango, was superb. The dancers were talented and the every step was executed to perfection. Last night we went to something called “The Liar’s Club,” which is similar to the parlor game “Balderdash.” The four staff members making up definitions to strange looking words were a riot. It did get a bit bawdy, but within reason. Cruise Director John hosted and did his usual good job with a lot of humor thrown in. Unfortunately Ronnie did not feel well and left before the end and we both had a rough night with my coughing and her upset stomach. We both are much better today, and even had our usual room service breakfast of pancakes and oatmeal.

I still never miss my tea time trivia group unless I am off the ship, and our team has become known as “The Dream Team” since we do so well, one day even getting 15 out of 15 of the questions correct. Lately, however, we have been experienced stiff competition from anther couple who combined with some passengers on for this segment.

February 18, 2009

Just finished our visit to the Falkland Islands of the southern coast of Argentina. You may remember that the British and Argentines fought a war over these islands in 1982. At the time I remember thinking that the British were at fault for fighting for these islands so close to Argentina. After visiting here I understand the war better. The inhabitants are almost all British, and they felt invaded and occupied by the Argentine military. There are memorials in town to the British soldiers who “liberated us.” The people felt they wanted to chose for themselves what country they belonged to, and further felt the invasion was a diversion from the trouble the ruling Military Junta in Argentina was having with the economy. The interesting thing is that the islands have truly prospered since the war, partly for the attention that it brought to them but also because of the stability of the clear British rule. The population and the economy have soared.

They told us to prepare for cold weather, so we were well bundled up when we got into the tender boats to take us to the dock. However, as soon as we docked, we realized that the day was relatively warm and sunny, so that we felt over dressed if anything. It was probably in the low 60s, but that is a warm day in the Falklands. We walked all over the town of Port Stanley, which we shared with a few thousand people from a Princess cruise ship also anchored in the harbor (more than doubled the population of the town. Quaint town, with some distinctive English architecture, although Ronnie said it could have been Cape Cod. Then we took a shuttle to Gypsy Cove where we saw a large moulting magellanic penguin colony. They were mostly in a beautiful bay with a large white sandy beach, but some were also further up on the slope, as close as 15 feet from the trail, with their little noses pointed straight up in the air. Quite something to see several hundred of these penguins right in front of us.

Another sea day tomorrow with a scenic trip around Cape Horn, and then to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern most city in the world. We are getting ready for the coldest days of the trip as the temperature continues to drop outside. Thanks to everyone who reads this for your prayers and support. We are truly blessed!

February 15, 2009

One of the excellent speakers on the ship, Terry Breen, a cultural anthropologist, said that as much as she loved Rio, she loved Buenos Ares even more. After two days there, we can see why. The view of the city from the port is no where near as dramatic as Rio, and there are no beaches, but the city itself is a delight, with a definite European flavor. We arrived late on our first day but still took the ship shuttle into town and then walked for a several hours on a street called Florida, which is now a pedestrian mall, with lots of activity, including street mimes, tango dancers, and lots and lots of shops and side malls. We also went to the main square, Plaza de Mayo, with the “Pink Palace” where Eva Peron appeared from a balcony to address the Argentine people as seen in the movie Evita. We toured the Cathedral Metripolitana, a beautiful ornate cathedral with a guarded tomb of one of the liberators of Buenos Ares. We happened to be there at the time of the changing of guard, so we were privileged to witness the ceremonial marching and departure of the tomb guard, followed by the closing of the gates to the tomb area.

From Plaza de Mayo we could see in the distance the Obelisk, which looks like a somewhere smaller version of the Washington Monument. We actually walked to it the next day. Then we walked back again on Florida street and quickly discovered how much less expensive prices are in Argentina compared to Brazil. With an exchange rate of about 3.5 pesos to the dollar, our money goes much further. We purchased a version of the Mate, a gourd like container that the people of both Brazil and Argentina use to drink their tea. The tea is actually called Mate, and the container gets its name from the tea. You use a special straw for mate, made of metal, usually silver, which filters the tea so that you are not drinking in tea leaves. We saw people everywhere, in the shops and even on the streets drinking their mate. The making of the mate containers has become an art form, with much carving and ornamentation on the gourd. The straws can also be quite ornate and beautiful. I also purchased a shirt (as I did in Rio) as I have found that in my effort to pack lightly, I don’t really have enough shirts to wear. The shirt is a polo (with a pocket, of course) which cost about $9. Leather goods also are incredibly cheap in Argentina, and I bought a unique change purse, with different color leathers designed to look like a man’s sport coat for $1.50. Ronnie bought some costume jewelry gifts, and we were quite tired when we travelled back to the ship on the last shuttle at 6:30 p.m.

By this time Ronnie discovered that the ring I had bought her in Rio had lost a stone. We were both concerned, especially when we found out that the jeweler did not have a shop in Buenos Ares (one of the other jewelers on the ship did), but we did know that they had a store in Miami. As a last resort we figured we could send the ring back to Miami when we got back, but of course that is not until June! I emailed the representative of the company named Christian, who had been on the ship until Rio, and he emailed me right back. He apologized for the problem and said that his associate, Eduardo, who had been on our ship as well, would meet us the next day at the port in Buenos Ares. While there were a few snags, including Eduardo losing his wallet to a pick pocket, Eduardo flew in with a brand new identical ring in Ronnie’s size in exchange for the one with the missing stone. What customer service! We figured they lost money on the deal, but in any case we would highly recommend Amsterdam Sauer to any one who asked.

We decided to go into town on the first shuttle that morning because we wanted to see the opera house (largest in the world, they say) and La Boca, a unique community of brightly painted houses that still maintains some of the culture of the first Italian immigrants. The opera house was still under renovation so we could not see it, but the street is beautiful and wide similar to the Champs Elysee in Paris, and we did get close to the Obelisk for a few photos. From there we took a taxi to La Boca (cabs are cheap there: $7 for the whole ride including tip). We loved the ethnic character and bright colors of La Boca, and of course the artists. Yes, we couldn’t resist some of their art, again unique and colorful. One of the artists personally took me to the closest ATM that we couldn’t find on our own since it was at the back of a store with no clear signage. He was a delightful fellow, and the original watercolor we bought from him was only $10, but the interaction with him was worth a lot more.

The next day I unexpectedly was assigned to escort a tour which included a boat ride on the river Tigre and the Parana River delta, close to Buenos Ares. Ronnie could not go because she had to meet Eduardo, and it was not her ideal excursion anyway. The Parana Delta continues to expand because of the mass of silt deposited from rivers that come down from the Andes, and it is crisscrossed with hundreds of small channels, making much of the delta a collection of islands. The area has become a popular place for Portenos, as the citizens of Buenos Ares are called, to have a vacation home. I saw hundreds of mostly small homes on these islands, with some looking like shacks and others like mansions. The only way to get to them is by boat, so everything is brought in or taken out by boat. While homes in Buenos Ares are quite expensive, you can purchase one of the island homes for as little as $50,000 according to our guide. Ronnie did more shopping that afternoon, and we both got back to the ship in time for a Tango and Gaucho dancing show. Quite something (I took a few short videos), and the theater was packed with new passengers who got on in Buenos Ares.

While a number of passengers got off in Buenos Ares, many more got on, so we now have 540 on board, about 200 more than before. It is a mixed blessing. We couldn’t get a washer in the laundry room, and the gym and just about everything is more crowded. However, on the positive side my church service this morning suddenly doubled in size to more than 20. This afternoon at our Trivia game Don Shula was at an adjoining table. He is one of the speakers on this segment, but he has not been on the docket yet.

Yesterday we had our one stop in Uruguay, at the port city of Montevideo. We had a beautiful sunny day there and walked into town about 9:30 a.m. when it was still pretty quiet. By the time we returned about 2:30 p.m. the places by the port were hopping. We went to several of the main squares, toured the cathedral which was much simpler than others we have seen but still quite beautiful. We went to two local craft markets and purchased a few small items and one painting. There were a few stalls along the streets and in the squares selling crafts as well, along with antiques. The entertainment last night was Richard Shuman, who with his brother wrote the music to Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and other Disney classics and has won numerous Academy Awards and Tonys for his music. We figured he is in his 70s, and he had some good stories to tell and he obviously enjoyed performing some of his songs for us.

Still trying to figure out if I can shrink some of the photos enough so it won’t take forever to upload them. I know a number of you have asked for photos, and I am still working on it.

I am closing with a short excerpt from my sermon this morning as it is relavant to our experience:

“As I was putting the finishing touches on this sermon, I was sitting on our balcony as we were sailing out from Montevideo. You may remember that it was one of those beautiful early evenings, with the temperature just right, a nice breeze, with birds flying by, other ships sailing past, and the sun approaching the Western horizon. We had just finished an amazing day and a half in Buenos Ares and a marvelous day in Montevideo. My heart was overflowing with thankfulness to God for the opportunity simply to be on this ship, for the wonder of his creation, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea. And on that Valentine’s Day, for the gift of love between my wife and me. You see, I proposed to my wife on Valentine’s Day 36 years ago yesterday. For me it was truly a holy moment.”

February 11, 2009

Yes, it’s been a while, so I am overdue for an update. We have now left Brazil and are headed to Argentina. We had no idea how much we would love Brazil, especially Rio. Despite the wide beaches in the northern town of Fortaleza and the wonderful dancing we were able to see on a free excursion (for all passengers), it was our least favorite of the three cities we visited in Brazil. To get to the theater where they did the dancing, we drove along a street about a block from the beach. What a contrast: large expensive high rise condos on one side, and on the other extreme poverty with favelas visible on the hillside. We don’t really have a perfect translation for favelas, but they are basically communities squatter shacks, most built from discarded construction materials. The dancing was quite something, the fulfillment of a dream of one lady who takes young people from the slums and trains them to dance, and I mean professional quality dance. We first saw a modern dance with strong African influence, and then a more traditional Brazilian dance in the garden beside the theater. Both well done, but it was HOT and we were glad to head back to the ship. Everything is reversed from our North American way of thinking. Summer is December, January and February, and the further North you are, the hotter it is. So this was the hottest part of Brazil.

I received my first assignment as an excursion escort in Salvador de Bahia, the first capital of Brazil. As an escort I count heads, carry a first aid kit and give a report on the excursion to the ship’s Destination Services staff. As an escort I do not pay for the excursions, but we decided to pay for Ronnie so we could be together. A great group of only 12 including me, and we had a marvelous time seeing both the upper and lower part of the city. The lower part is where the port is and mostly commercial, the upper is the historic part with amazing cathedrals, churches, and squares. We were on an all day cruise which included the traditional Churrascaria meal, an opulent meal of cold salads (a buffet of 50 or so salad dishes), a hot buffet and 19 kinds of meat sliced from skewers brought around to each table by the waiters. We also visted the Pinto museum, a mansion donated to the city by the Pinto family, featuring lost of silver, gold, crystal, and other art work. We drove though all kind of neighborhoods from middle class to very wealthy. We ended with stop at the Modelo market, with lots of local craft vendors. We purchased a colorful painting by a local artist in the upper city and a couple of Bahia dolls in the market. The African influence is very strong in Salvador, the beaches are beautiful, and we truly enjoyed our tour.

Rio de Janeiro is absolutely incredible, especially sailing in and seeing the huge beaches with all the high rise buildings and the cliffs on either side and mountains behind. The Christ statue is on a high mountain top and visible from almost everywhere in the city, and therefore both a great way to orient oneself (both spiritually and geographically). I cannot recommend Rio highly enough as a place to visit. Ronnie and I would love to go back. It was hot there, but I guess our bodies are used to such a climate now living in Florida, so it did not really bother us that much. I cannot even begin to describe being at Corcovado where the Christ statue is. Pictures cannot do it justice, as the huge statue over towers you and you have panoramic views of all of Rio. It is one of the most inspiring places I have ever been. We loved the Ipanema and Cococabana beaches – the sand is fine and the beaches are wide (and packed with people on the weekend). Our tour guide from the jewelry store gave us a bonus by taking us to a monastery chapel with awe-inspiring baroque carvings covered in gold. We were there just in time for the evening Latin mass, and while we could not stay for the whole thing, we were engulfed in beautiful Gregorian chant by the monks sitting on either side of the chancel (similar to choir stalls at St. Paul’s in Winston-Salem).

Every sea day I continue to do daily devotions (I use Morning Prayer as the model, but don’t let on to the non-Episcopalians) except Sunday where I do give a full blown sermon. I am doing Communion on the fourth Sunday of every month. There is a daily Mass for the Roman Catholics.

Goodheart World Cruise 2009

Goodheart 2009 World Cruise


January 28, 2009 – End of second full day:
First we feel so fortunate, so blessed to be on this amazing trip, going to places we have never been and only dreamed of going and being on a ship where service is number one and everything from tips to all alcoholic beverages are included. My duties are actually less than I anticipated, and mostly I will be doing Sunday services. Today I received a name tag to wear about the ship that says “Rev. Donald Goodheart” and has the Regent logo on it. No one asked me what I wanted on it, nor did I know that I was going to get it, and it is a departure from our Episcopal sensitivity to the fact that Reverend is an adjective and not a title. However, I am trying my best to be “the Protestant Chaplain” and not “the Episcopal Chaplain,” something the placement agency made very clear is my job.
By now we have some feel for the ship: where things are, the cruise director’s approach, how poorly the internet works, where to go for food, and some of our new BFFs. We already turned in our prioritized excursion escort requests for this first leg, including Brazil and Argentina. As escorts we work as head counters, wear a Regent shirt and carry a first aid kit. We will only both go if we agree to be with separate groups, but again, given the opportunity, we are okay with that requirement.
Some things stand out in my mind. The ship is so much smaller than the large Princess ships, and it is only half full for this leg of the trip. There are only around 80 passengers who are doing the full world cruise (we were invited to a reception for those during the full cruise, although there are some events we cannot attend). Many of those 80 have done world cruises many times before, and know the staff like the back of their hand. One group that we had drinks with last evening are three couples who have done no less than eight world cruises together. They frankly don’t much care where the ship goes. The important thing for them is being together (one of them said that being on the ship together for this extended time is “the closest thing to heaven” that she has experienced).
Being on a smaller provides more intimacy, more rocking and rolling (less stability in choppy waters, and it has been choppy with nine foot waves), and less competition for the reservation only restaurants, lounge chairs by the pool or seats for the evening entertainment in the large theater. The lectures have been good (the ones today on hurricanes and astronomy were excellent) but poorly attended. This same cruise last year was apparently packed full, so the economy has definitely had an impact. The downside of the smaller ship is having fewer resources (e.g. one pool, smaller exercise room, fewer shops, etc.).
What about the passengers? They are people like any other group of people, coming in all shapes and sizes, with all types of personalities. I have not found them to be pretentious or overly demanding. Most of the world cruisers truly love this ship and think it is the best. Some of our new bffs are truly fun to be with, and anyway part of my job is to be “out and about,” meeting and greeting people. I enjoy that anyway. We have become friends with the Roman Catholic priest, “Father Tom,” who endeared himself to us and others at our table the first night when he told us to please just call him “Tom.” The Jewish Rabbi became sick before the cruise and is unable to be here. The Cruise Director (an engaging young Brit named John) still hopes he will arrive in time for Passover, but some of the passengers who know the rabbi say he probably will not make it. Because he was not here, the Cruise Director decided not to include Tom or me in the introductions of his staff on the first night as he usually does. At first I was disappointed because I thought the exposure would be helpful, but, as Ronnie said, to be introduced as part of the entertainment team might not be the best thing for the clergy.
I have joined a trivia team, meeting most afternoons at tea time for a trivia contest against other teams. It is not only fun, but usually a lot of laughs. Ronnie does craft activities and we both have been using the gym on most days. This evening we had dinner with a couple from San Francisco in one of the reservation only restaurants, Prime 7, and the setting was beautiful, but the food not that much different from the main dining room except that the portions were larger (we appreciate the smaller portions).

January 29, 2009 – Early Afternoon
Went on our first shore adventure this morning, leaving about 9:30 for Gustavia, St. Barts. It is a charming little island, and we walked to the fishing village of Corosso. The tourist info lady told us not to, but that seemed to make us and the craft teachers we were with even more determined to do so. The narrow road with few sidewalks and many cars and trucks whizzing by made it a challenge, but we made it there and back without incident. The highlight was a little lady selling hand woven baskets by the side of the road (yes we bought one for $6). Back in Gustavia, we looked at most of the shops, mostly selling very expensive merchandise at very high prices. We ended up having a light lunch at a little café selling French crépes. We each had one and they were excellent! We returned to the ship and rested before dinner, which was a reservation only affair at one of the premier restaurants on the ship. The food and service were excellent, but the portions so large that we felt a bit overwhelmed (and stuffed). Finally we enjoyed the first big production in the main theater, “Broadway in Concert.” Good group of singers and dancers. Our neighbors, Igor and Natalia were part of the cast and did a beautiful job.

February 1, 2009 – Sunday Evening
Then next day we arrived at a small island called Dominica, and the village of Roseau. It is a very poor country and as we left the boat we were besieged by taxi drivers wanting to drive us around the island (for a price, of course). We were trying to decide what to do when we saw a couple on a corner looking equally confused. We went up to talk with them and they had an offer from a cab driver to drive them, but if they found another couple it would reduce the price by ¼. We had wanted to go to a place called the Emerald Pool, and they did as well, in addition to going to the native Carib area. We all agreed and had a great day. The Emerald Pool was amazing and to get to it we walked through part of the rain forest. I walked behind the waterfall and got some amazing photos from there.
The Carib Indian territory is very poor, with most houses constructed of corrugated metal thrown together to create a shelter. Of course the climate is tropical, with temperatures mostly in the high 70s and 80s year round. We stopped at some roadside stands where the native people were selling mostly basket wares. Our companions bought some fans with some pretty color straw, and by the time I saw them they were none left. However, the lady (with one tooth) was in the process of making one, and while the others were waiting for me, I watched her finish the fan for me. I know it is hand made by a true Carib Indian!
We also stopped at a fruit stand where you sample the fruit for free and give a donation if you like it. The grapefruit and coconut were delicious! We met a family there who were travelling by sail boat from Connecticut and homeschooling the children on the way. Later we drove by a place where they were making a kind of bread in a big metal pan over a large open fire. Our driver bought us some and it was quite good, with a grainy but soft texture. Then we stopped for a few moments at another house and saw some of our driver’s children. He is a “Neg,” the term they use for blacks who are descendants of slaves, and he had married a native Carib, so his children were mixed race, and quite adorable. He told his wife had “given him trouble,” so he was separated from her and had a place of his own in the port city where we found him (Rousseau). He provided a wealth of information on the history and politics of the island, including the great appreciation they have for Chavez, the anti-American President of Venezuela, because he has provided less expensive oil and other aid for the country.
Back at the port, we looked around at some of the shops and market stalls before getting back on the ship, but saw nothing that really interested us. We had a late lunch by the pool deck and a late dinner. We have been pretty faithful about exercising in the gym and we did so before dinner. That night we were entertained by a “singing juggler” who was fun.

February 3, 2009 – Tuesday Morning
I will try to catch up on the last few days. Our last port day in the Caribbean was Saturday, January 31, and we were in Bridgetown, Barbados. A good 20 minute walk from the port to downtown, where we saw an Anglican cathedral and lots of people crowding the main shopping streets. As in Dominique, we stood out as two of the few white faces in a sea of black and brown. Quite a contrast between the hustle and bustle of the street that catered to the natives (a closed pedestrian street), and the more upscale Broad street which was comparatively deserted. We did like the small market on the walk back to the ship which specialized in native crafts. We bought a small glass fish crafted by the a native artist. By the end of the day, we felt ready to leave Caribbean.
The next three days were sea days, today being the last. I did my first worship service on Sunday, February 1, attended by a disappointing dozen or so people. I had done a lot of prep work, and am doing a sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer. Sergei, the pianist from the band, led the hymns, but did complain about the early hour (since he was up late the night before). I had prepared bulletins, which were somewhat mangled by the ship’s copy machine, but much to Ronnie’s delight, the whole service was done in about 40 minutes. Half the people were Anglican, at least one Baptist and a couple of Presbyterians. Even some Roman Catholics showed up, but left early when they realized they were in the wrong place (the Roman Catholic Mass was going at the same time). Later I saw Father Tom at breakfast, and when I told him I saw that he was doing an evening Mass, he said that was news to him. It was in the ship’s bulletin, so I am sure he did it in the end.
We love the lectures on sea days, with people who give us great information on the history and politics of Brazil in particular, as well as other subjects ranging form Leonardo Da Vinci to Astronomy. Most speakers are quite good. I also have participated in a number of the ships games, from a crazy mini-golf even down stairs, to standard shuffle board tournament. I never miss my Team Trivia group, and we now have a five day winning streak under our belts. We have Americans, Brits and Aussies in our group, and they are very competitive. I fit in well! Last night the entertainment was a comedian named Yakov Smirnoff, who had been on the Tonight Show and even performed for Presidents. We enjoyed his humor but were surprised about how emotional he became at the end when talking about the help his family received when coming to this country. Today I did my first daily devotional. At first cruise director John had felt it wasn’t necessary, but we had a couple of people ask about it, so we decided to go ahead. All of 2 people showed up. Some think it is because the ship is only half full, but also there has been only a small announcement in the daily bulletin. A little frustrating.