Yet again, we started out early as the itinerary for this day included various places of interest and some shopping at the southern tip of Manhattan and Macy’s.
Our first destination was to pay the famous lady of the Big Apple a visit, Liberty. Had checked for the tour online but only to be disappointed by its closure, due to maintenance from damage caused during by hurricane Sandy months back. As such, took the subway to South Ferry station (the red line, train 1) and walked to the Whitehall ferry terminal, where we could take the free public ferry to Staten Island, en-route to see Statue of Liberty. This was the cheapest way though it wasn’t a really close enough to get a good snap shot. And a lot of people was doing this so getting a good view point was important.
The ride to Staten Island was about 25mins and as soon as we arrived, we took the U-turn and lined up on the departure side for a second viewing of the statue (and because we weren’t visiting Staten Island anyways).
Leaving Manhattan on a ferry.Statue of Liberty from afar.Staten Island ferry terminal.
After the ferry ride, we took the subway to 9/11 memorial where the twin towers last stood. It was a little chilly and there was a line already forming, though moving slowly. With the printed tickets, it was pretty easy to access the site, though there were strict security checks as expected. Within the memorial park, there were 2 reflecting pools, indicating the location of the fallen towers. Quite a crowd within the park itself, and without a guide, we simply roamed around the area. There were some some pieces of structures belonging to the towers that were kept within a glass building but it wasn’t open for viewing. We left after a while to the nearby memorabilia store and then onward to the next destination.
9/11 memorial. One of the 2 reflecting pool.Already new buildings were up.
We figured that walking to Brooklyn Bridge was manageable and so we did. Went through the towering buildings of the financial district and 20mins later, we arrived at the one end of the bridge and walked towards the first main tower of the bridge, along with hordes of people.
Fountain in a park.Squirrel.Interesting name for this place.
From the bridge, we can see the skyline of Brooklyn, with lines of cars moving beneath our feet on this mega structure linking the 2 islands. Left the windy location for South Street Seaport area for yet another round of NYC shopping.
Finally reaching the main structure.Signage of Brooklyn Bridge.View from the top of the bridge.
It was an easy walk though a little long (20mins) as there weren’t really a straightforward route. As we approached closer to the area, we noticed that many of the shops were closed. There were signs indicating that the rebuilding after Sandy was still ongoing and not expected to be opened anytime soon. This disappointment was harder since one of the other A&F store was here and we were really looking forward to visiting for some merchandise and unfortunately it was still closed.
We moved closer to the pier and there was a shopping mall converted from former docks warehouses, called Pier 17. Went there for late lunch and some shopping. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge was great from the mall.
Shopping buildings near South Street Seaport.Quiet street as many shops were still shut.Boat incoming into pier.Shopping Mall of South Street SeaportBrooklyn Bridge from Pier 17.
Hopped onto the subway back to Empire State Building, where we were hoping to checked out King Kong’s view of Manhattan skyline atop of NYC. There was another choice in the form of the Rockefeller Center, but somehow this popular building drew our fancies more. Entered the building and there were signage to direct people to the ticketing office and the queue. There was an express queue with a price but we figured that we would not spend that much more and rather wait it out in the queue. It was almost a 30mins to the ticketing and another 20 to the top, through a specific elevators. Whatever the price or time, it was definitely worth it in the sunset.
We chose to include option of visiting the 360 observatory at the 102nd floor although the original 86th storey that gave visitors a choice of fresh cold air was also good. There were less people up on the 102nd and more space for panorama phototaking, though glass reflection might be an issue. Another elevator brings visitor from 86th to the 102nd.
At the main lobby of Empire State Building.Tickets to the observatory.Guided to the elevators.At the outside deck on the 86th.Panorama of Manhattan.Another one with the river in between.And the sunset view. Liberty could be seen from here.
After having enough of the sunset and trying to identify the various landmarks, we made our way to the last shopping destination of the day, at the huge Macy’s. It was really amazing to see escalators made out of wood and taking them to the different shopping floors. Ended the day with some custom built burgers for late dinner at modern designed the Counter.
The day started early as it was shopping day at Woodbury Common Premier Outlets. Had breakfast at the hotel and left for Gray Line visitor center to collect our bus tickets to the outlet. We thought that we were taking the bus from there but were told to go to the Port Authority Bus Terminal instead, 8 streets away. In order to catch the next available bus at 830, we had to walk quickly to the bus terminal, only to find an incredibly long queue already waiting for the bus! Apparently there were just as many like-minded tourists like us!
Disappointed that we were most likely going to miss the bus due to the amount of people, we made our way to the back of the line. Suddenly, there was a announcement to evacuate the building. We just followed the crowd out the building and crossed the road, heading for the next nearby pickup point to board. Shortly after crossing the road, we saw Gray Line staffs and asked where the nearest pick up location was and they pointed to us immediately outside the building. Furthermore, they also pointed to us one that was arriving and we immediately headed in the reverse direction and boarded the bus, pretty empty at that point. What luck!
An hour journey and soon we reached the location, one with many snow covered roofs of many stores. It was going to be a long day. The place was still quiet as opening hours was still 30mins away. Went straight to the central administration building to retrieve the discount vouchers booklet and used the toilet before going to the stores that were already opened.
Navigated with the attached map and focused on stores of interest. Still it was a whole day event with our favorite brands, we even had to skip lunch.
Woodbury central tower.Many lines for single storey shops.
There was a central food court where we had dinner before going for our finale. We stayed till the last shop closed at 10 and went to the same bus station for the return journey. Again, there was a line and we were amongst the last in the queue. Quite worried that we might end up without a seat and had to take one of the taxis, many of them waiting around, like a vulture waiting for its prey to die. As the bus slowly filled up and we inched closer to the entrance, we saw 2 more buses coming in from the main road and we were relieved.
It’s an hour back and an easy walk back to the hotel. Great day of shopping with very low prices for the American brands. Totally worth it.
Start of the year and we were spending the day visiting the museum – The American Museum of Natural History. It was located next to the Central park that we ice skated the day before. Checked out of Room Mate Grace and went over a street to Broadway at Times Square, affordable one which had some pretty good reviews. Since it was still early, we had to place our luggage at the reception first.
Hopped on the sub and got off at the station with the same name. From there it was a short walk to the entrance at the same level as the subway. We were pretty early and there was already queues at the entrance to get past the security clearance.
Train station.
The museum was huge and we started our tour from the top level, a collection of prehistoric bones of the dinosaurs – this was something that tickled my nerdy side, used to love dinosaurs back when I was younger.
Me in front of ancient bones.The public can feel the bones.T-rex.Triceratops.Woolly mammoth.
There were windows of exhibits showing the different animals available in the US. Placed behind a glass window with a nice backdrop, every of the exhibits looked real.
Bison exhibits.Moose Exhibits.Grizzly exhibits.
There was one segment in the museum that featured space stuff, another one to my liking. There was a huge ass rock that was said to be meteorite. Nice ET stuff.
Tonnes of meteorite.
Some exhibits also feature cultures from the other countries, ok to browse through though we were particularly excited. It had been a long day and the museum was huge, and naturally we became tired.
Aztec Calendar.Replica of Chichen ItzaEmperor penguins of Antarctica.Congo gorillas.
One exhibit that I liked was the huge Dino skeleton (Broncho maybe?) at the main entrance of the museum. That really gave a perspective of how these huge giants used to roam earth and how tiny we are as humans.
Huge dino skeleton at entrance of the museum.
Lastly, we also checked out one segment of the museum that featured creatures of the sea. There was a really impressively huge replica of a whale hanging from the ceiling.
Giant whale hanging from the ceiling.
Time flew and it was time to leave. From there, we didn’t have much time to our next activity, which was to catch a live NBA match at Madison Square Garden, with the Trailblazers taking on the Knicks. Arrived at the stadium while walking there with many people streaming into the place. There were many memorabilia on sale but we didn’t get any. Since we already bought our tickets online and printed them, getting in was hassle free. Got some food for dinner and drinks and proceeded to our seats.
The atmosphere was electrifying and it felt fun to be part of the crowd. Even though it was ages since we last watched basketball, back in the good old days of MJ, and that we didn’t know anyone of the players, it was pretty obvious from the crowd who were the key players for Knicks, and then we were instantly one-day-fan. P
Madison Square Garden.Game start!Sharp shooter Carmelo Anthony.Caught a live NBA game – Bucket list item checked.
There were also half time entertainment, such as baby crawl competition, and also times where staff shoots free tees to the crowd. All these weren’t shown on TV.
We were also given long plastic balloons to create noise by waving and bumping each other. Really good fun.
Half time baby crawl entertainment.
After the game where Knicks lost unfortunately after an intensely anxious try for a turnaround, we left the stadium and headed back to the hotel. Still tired from the lack of sleep the previous 2 days, it was an easy trip to dreamland.
The previous day continued into New Year’s eve early morning with a hurried walk from our checked out hotel to the Union train station in the freezing night. The sound from the rolling luggage was the only sound on the street especially at that time of the day. Having heard some not so good stories from our cruise dinner companions about taking over night buses gave us to goosebumps as we headed towards the bus station which was at the top floor of the train station. When arrived at the Greyhound counter, we proceeded to check in and get in line where there was already a queue. The place was lit up adequately and not as dangerous as described. Looking at the queue, we thought for a moment that we might not make the bus but there were in fact more than a bus going towards NYC.
After boarding the bus, everything else was a blur as we dozed, only waking up some 6hrs later. Brushed our teeth at the station’s toilet before taking the metro to our hotel on 45th Street, Room Mate Grace.
At the bus station waiting for our overnight bus.
Checked in and was unexpectedly given a room. The modern reception designed was sleek and the room was nice too, except for the incredibly small area, given that it costed $780 SGD for that night alone – the steep spike due to New Year’s Eve where accommodations in the area were snapped up like hot cakes. Lazed on the bed for a while due to poor sleep on the bus the day earlier, before picking ourselves up and going for breakfast and explore NYC.
Indoor swimming pool of the hotel.Times Square.Breakfast at cafe.Cafe interior.
Xmas deco dotted the streets of this concrete jungle, a landscape that was familiar since we came from Singapore. Difference was the cool weather that made walking in the streets in nice jackets really pleasant.
Huge Xmas tree lighting.Xmas .tree ballsRadio City building.
One of the to-do list was to ice skate in Central park, easily reachable by foot. The ice skating rink was in the middle of the park and we had to queue and pay for usage. We rented the skates and left our bags in the small deposit boxes and rented the locks with keys for a fee. There weren’t a time limit for usage but the one-time fee wasn’t cheap either.
Statue at Central Park.Ice skating rink at Central Park.All set and ready.Beautiful park in the middle of a city.Lovely ducks.Bridge over a pond.Bigger duck.Snow on the grass.
After a trip-filled ice skating experience and a walk through the park, we continued to walk the streets, for sightseeing and shopping to return to our hotel.
Gift wrapped building.Statue at the front of Rockefella center.Giant Xmas tree at Rockefella Center and ice skating rink.One of the tallest, Rockefella center.
We packed lunch back to hotel and also sandwiches for dinner. These had to be brought along to the countdown since we would be expected to be human gridlocked in the crowd and thus unable to get food or drinks. This also meant that going to the toilet would be mission impossible, and for that, we had adult diapers on.
Lunch
The hotel was actually very close to the stage, which was our main reason for getting this room. However, the side streets that the hotel was situated was blocked off from main Broadway. We had to get around the barricades by going in the opposite direction and that brought us many streets away from the stage. At 4pm, we were already stuck in the crowd as crowd controllers control human movement using steel barricades. We ended up packed in a certain section.
Crowded at 4pm.
It was a really really long wait. Thought it would be fun, it wasn’t. People soon got tired of standing and started to sit around. That took up a lot more space and it was uncomfortable. There was even one guy who just laid on the road and sleep.
Being so far away, we couldn’t see the stage though there were some large screens. The music didn’t reach the us and thus the crowd wasn’t enthusiastic. From 6pm onwards, there were mini countdowns shown on the screen for other world cities that were going through their countdown to 2013. Soon I was just looking forward towards the hour mark to see who was countdowning next.
Ate some dinner, talked to a Mexican, watched some pre-recorded shows on ipad and soon, the party on the stage was on the way, with Gangnam style (though the crowd response was still cold like the weather). And the anticipated final hour finally came, the fireworks from the building became more frequent and soon after John Lennon’s “Imagine”, it was 3.2.1…Happy New Year! Confetti snowed and fireworks displayed on both ends of the streets. The streets were alive again with much merry making.
Every now and then, fireworks shoot from the sides of the building.
The electric atmosphere fizzled out pretty quickly, probably tired out by the long hours of standing out in the cold. Like the crowd, we moved quickly back to our hotel where there was a rowdier party going on at the bar. Luckily there wasn’t a need to use the diapers. Countdown in the Big Apple felt a little overrated but heck, crossed this out from our to-do list.
A day was all we had to walk around DC and therefore we had to start the day early. Went over to Union Station where the subway was also located. Similar to the MRT that we were used to in Singapore, just less crowded. First stop was the White House. Alighted 3 stops later at Metro center stop, which wasn’t really close though that was the best. Once above ground, the chill began to bite with the light morning breeze blew. Suddenly we missed the tropical sun of the Caribbean. The streets were quiet on the Sunday morning as we tried to navigate with the help of street maps towards the President’s Residence.
Waiting for the train at Union Station.Not many people on the train.Buildings around the town.Buildings in town.
While around location, we got confused the White House with the Treasury since they were all white and fenced up. It was weird too that there weren’t many people taking photos there and that’s when we knew we made a blunder. The White House building was pretty far away from the fence and I had to zoom in for a shot at it.
White House zoomed.
A towering obelisk stood within sight and it was something useful for us to reference to in order to walk about the huge sightseeing area close by.
Silhouette of the obelisk near White House.
With a map in view, we started southwards across the road to WWII memorial. There weren’t many tourists around but people were out and about jogging in these parks. The skies were clear blue and while we wandered about, we also yearned for the sun to rise quickly for warmth.
Looking towards Lincoln Memorial from the WWII end.Walking towards Abraham Lincoln Memorial.At the WWII memorial.Emblem on the ground.Pond at WWII memorial.Rows of trees on the pathway.Long reflection pool.Obelisk standing at the end of the pool.
From the end of the reflecting pool where the WWII memorial was, we walked towards the Lincoln Memorial at the other end, enjoying the serenity of the surroundings that had the occasional choppers flying around. Seated within the pillared buidling at the end of the reflecting pool was the giant statue of Lincoln. View of the where Lincoln was sitting was impressive.
Abraham Lincoln statue.View from the Linoln Memorial.
The area was huge and took a bit of walking from memorial to memorial, though quite easily accomplished with the cool weather. While walking towards Martin Luther King’s statue, we walked past the Korean War Memorial that had a couple of stone statues that looked war weary and had a eerie reflection from the glossy tiled wall.
Korean War Memorial.Martin Luther King statue.View of the obelisk from opposite side of the basin.
Famous leaders of the US given the acknowledgement for their contributions and influence in shaping America, figures from the texts of history books immortalized in the various statues standing around the park. The visit also renewed interest for history.
Franklin Roosevelt statue.
As we walked around the central pond towards Jefferson Memorial, a sudden cold gust came about and hurried us towards the building. Within moments up the steps, a tall silhouette stood in the middle of this building which reminded me of Greek architecture. It was a good hideaway from the cold outside, especially the shop within that had heater – welcomed temporary relief.
Thomas Jefferson memorial with pond with ducks.In front of the Jefferson Memorial.Silhouette of the statue in the memorial.Statue of Thomas Jefferson.
We left the memorials and started heading to our next destination, the National Air and Space Museum. It was not close but manageable distance, and also provided the opportunity to look around this streets of DC.
US Holocaust Museum.Smithsonian Institution.
There were many museums of interest in DC but we didn’t had the luxury of time. Chose this because I was interested in space related stuff. There was already a line waiting to enter the museum, and that was a tell-tale sign that we made a right choice. It was a large area consisting of many flying objects from rockets to planes to Apollo 13. Brought back the childhood interest of space exploration.
Had fast food for lunch within the museum itself, caught a IMAX movie (at a price), read up on the rich history of aviation and touch the moon rock (supposedly). Good time spent at the museum before heading out to Capitol Hill.
National Air and Space Museum.Aeroplanes.Rockets.Something that landed on the moon.
Capitol Hill had the grandeur of “the building” of DC, something like the Eiffel of Paris. In this near perfect blue skies, the view couldn’t be more lovely. Only issue was trying to stabilize the freezing shaking hands while shooting.
Another shot of Capitol Hill and a statue in front of it.Bronze chariot in front of Capitol Hill.
Capitol Hill was still open for visit by the time we were there though the visit was limited to a few places within the building. There was some hearing going on for the day which we went to sat in for a while. There were many people sitting in too, surprisingly. Sat in, waited for a while for people to arrive. Then some people started talking and there were some discussions and I did not understand a single bit even though it was in English. Soon after, we left for our final destination, the International Spy Museum.
Inside Capitol Hill.Statue inside Capitol Hill.Sunset on the streets of Washington.
The Spy Museum was kinda of an interesting visit, where we could get to be an agent, learnt the trades and see all the interesting gadgets that secret agents used. Fun.
Spy mueseum.
That concluded a full day walk around the city of Washington DC. It was actually exhausting since it was really an entire day of walking. The day hadn’t ended exactly, even after having dinner at Union Station. Went back to the hotel to rest before our overnight bus ride to NYC for the New Year 2013 Countdown.
Cruising days were officially over as we began to start the USA part of our trip. By the time we were having breakfast, the cruise had already arrived at San Juan port. For the disembarkation, everyone was arranged to depart at certain time. There was a priority given to the guests who were the “VIPs”, with some kind of memberships, and people who had flights before noon. Unfortunately ours was after noon and thus pushed to quite far away. We were supposed to leave our luggage outside our doors where porters would handle them and we could collect them when we got off the ship. There were also various locations to meet at the predetermined time where we would be dispatched. We were happy about the time given because it meant we couldn’t spend that time exploring the Old Town of Puerto Rico. After spending the last few moments on the cruise, we decided to go to the gathering place, which was the theatre, to find out if we could leave earlier. Upon reaching, we asked the staff and he told us that our number was called quite long ago and that we could already leave the ship! What unexpected efficiency!
Disembarked the cruise and as we arrived at the gates, there were rows of luggage that were arranged, it didn’t take long to find out luggage. There was already a row of taxi that waiting in line ready to collect the passengers from the cruise and we got into one. We told him that we wanted to go visit the Old Town and asked him to recommend a place where we could dump the luggage so that we could walked around. He suggested another pier that was closer to Old Town where there were luggage cabinets for rent and we proceeded to that location. When we arrived, he informed that the area looked close and got off the taxi to confirm that, which was true. He then thought for a while more and suggested another location which was in the Old Town itself and some 10mins later, after going through the narrow streets, we arrived in front of a hotel’s bar (that I couldn’t the name). He informed one of the staff of our request and the staff took over the bags and tagged them and gave us the other half of the tag for collection later on. I checked the price for such a concierge service and was told that it was totally up to us.
Without thinking too much, we left the hotel and walked into the cobbled streets lined with pastel coloured buildings with a map in hand that the staff was kind enough to provide. Our objective within the 2hrs available before we had to get back to collect our luggage and head for the airport was to go to at least to visit the fort, a UNESCO listed monument. Looking at the map, it did’t look too difficult as the town was really compact and within walking distance although we had to walk fast.
Shopping street in the Old Town.Pastel coloured cathedral.Rows of colourful buildings
After walking through rows of buildings that had a mixture of hotels, cafes, shops and just residence, we arrived at road with the fort (Castillo San Felipe del Morro) straight ahead some 300m away. The morning sun was starting to become hotter and as there weren’t any forms of shade around plus the fast walking, it was hot.
Fountain with a totem pole in the background.Long walkway to the Fort.Entrance to the fort.Front door.The main plaza.
This fort was itself was quite huge, with multiple levels to explore. From the main plaza people could go to the rooftop for a view of the city and a visit to lighthouse. There was a staircase that led levels below the main deck that was facing the sea, probably used to have cannons to fire at incoming enemies. There were various signboards introducing the different sections of the fort, we didn’t had time and just took photographs of the area and the boards.
View of the other end of the historic site.Lighthouse.Cannonballs of steel.View from the top.Stairways down.
About 20 mins of visit, we exited this fort and proceeded along the road to Castillo San Cristobal which was part of this historic site, used to be linked by a wall. From the del Morro, we could see San Cristobal so we decided that it should not be too far.
Front of Castillo San Cristobal.
San Cristobal was somewhat smaller but somehow they resembled each other and should be built to serve the same purpose, mainly as defense for the country.
Large rooms called casemates.Main plaza of Cristobal.Well to draw water.Stairway to underground passage.Casemate showing what looked like barracks for soldiers.
Another 10 mins of exploring and we had to return already. Fortunately for the properly named streets, navigation back was easy and once we picked up our luggage, we walked a bit to the cathedral nearby where there were a few taxis parked there, a recommendation by the taxi driver that made things easier for us. Boarded a taxi and proceeded to the airport. It was a long flight to Washington DC with first a transfer to Philly then another flight to DC.
San Juan Airport.DC airport.
The cold was back to welcome us in DC as we stepped out of the airport. Caught a taxi to Phoenix Park Hotel, chosen mainly for its location that was closed to various attractions and train station.
Hotel room.Bathroom.View from our room.
After checking in, we left the hotel with an intention to explore abit. Capitol Hill was within sight and took a few shots. Walked the park a little but it was dark and the wind was piercingly cold. We decided to visit the train station to see if there was food as we didn’t know for sure if there was anything that we could find if we continue to explore.
Capitol Hill in the night.Washington Union Station in the night.Huge Xmas tree at Union Station.
The train station was huge and I kinda liked its architecture style. The Xmas atmosphere was still lingering with deco still around and of course the Xmas tree, not to mention the cold. There was also a model train with portraying a snow covered town in the station. There was something that resembled Singapore’s food court at the basement and we went there to check it out. Most of the stalls were closed so we went to “Billy Bombers”, although it was called Johnny Rockets.
Under renovation. Nice underside arches.Model train.The train station is huge.Just like Billy Bombers in Singapore.Dinner at Johnny Rockets.Sandwiches.Wings.Internal architecture.Stores were still opened.
It was straight back to the hotel after dinner since it looked like most places were closed and/or there were anything to see anyway. The cold didn’t help in the motivation either. It was a long day of travelling anyway and thus we were fine returning to the hotel.
The cruising days were coming to an end as we headed into St. Croix, the last port of call. This was another part of the US Virgin Islands, the first other one being St. Thomas, which we had visited on the first day of our cruise. Having read up on the available activities for St. Croix, we realized that there was not much to be expected. Our dinner companions had previously visited St. Croix and suggested that we visit Buck’s Island, which was really beautiful isolated island that was worth a visit so that was our objective for the day.
Long walk to land.Coconut trees lined pathway to the shutter buses.
Once we disembarked, we had to walk a distance from the ship to the mainland and once there, we went to a group of people whom looked very much like transport service providers and asked if they were doing the shuttle from Federiksted to Christiansted, where it was more touristy and where we could board the boat to Buck Island. We bought return tickets and boarded the minivan which was almost full and we were on the 1hr journey to Christiansted.
Shutter bus service to Christiansted.
There wasn’t anything of interest along the way, looked kinda rural and basically full of plantations nor did the driver provided and information on the St. Croix. After a boring ride, we alighted at what appeared to be a quayside location where there were shops selling sea activities and related stuff. We went straight away to Big Beards Adventure tour for the trip to Buck Island but were informed that the next timing for the outgoing trip was at 12.15pm and we were concerned that we would not be able to make the trip back in time so we gave it a miss and tried to go around searching for other alternatives. There were a few other companies that offered trips to Buck Island and all of them actually had their boats out already and it was too late for us. We then went back to Big Beards to book since they also assured that we would be able to make the trip back to our ship.
Danish styled buildings.
It was still very early and we decided to explore around a bit. The area around pier side was relatively small and after entering one or two shops that sold mostly touristy stuff, and the rest were either not opened yet or not of our interest.
Shopping in Christiansted.Perhaps an old lighthouse?Wooden planks walkway near the pier.
Walked alongside the sea side and admired the calmness of the sea and the quietness of this small town. Took a seat on the bench overlooking the little island some short distance away in the sea, where there was a beach and a resort on it – Hotel on the Cay. There was a boat that ferried people to the island, probably guests of that resort.
Fort ChristiansvaernHotel on the Cay.
For lunch, we were looking for the recommended ones in the “Lonely Planet” but as we tried to locate them using the map in the book, we weren’t able to find them. In the end, we settled for a pier side bar to settle our lunch. It was really windy and came with a nice seaside view.
One of the church had a wedding going on.Lunch area with seaside view.Boat stop for Big Beards Adventure tour.
Nearing the time of departure, we went to the meeting place that was informed to us during registration to wait. From a distance we saw a boat coming towards our direction and sure enough, it was Big Beard boat, the morning trippers have returned. We were given a briefing after just before boarding and in no time, we were out at sea going towards Buck Island. And we saw Big Beard too.
Buck Island in view
It was really a right choice – the island was isolated and thus had quite a nice stretch of white sandy beach without the crowd. The idyllic view that came with the turquoise sea was all too lovely for us to just sit on the sand and enjoy the water massage as the wave crashed onto the beach. Snorkeling was next after the familiarization in the waters near the island and then it was at the further distance where many corals and fishes could be seen, going in a line that was guided by one of the staff. Waters was a little choppy for our liking but it was worth it.
Peppered clouds provided occasional shade from the sun.Turquoise water against the soft white sand.
The trip felt like it ended as soon as it only started, it was all too enjoyable. Once back on land, the vans were already waiting nearby. We boarded one of them and return to Frederiksted. It was getting late but that didn’t stop us from walking around for a bit before boarding the ship.
Customs but seemed closed.Stalls selling stuff.Clock tower near the pier.
The last dinner was eaten with a saddening feeling from realization that our meeting with our dinner companions and the friendly staff was coming to an end. Had quite a bit of conversation on the Buck Island recommendation that we really liked and the travel plans ahead. Then it was farewells and off to prepare for departure the next day. When we return to the cabin, there was an envelope for the gratuities for the staff on board. We didn’t pay any because it was all paid in advance when we booked our tour back in Singapore, thus saving the hassle of carrying cash around.
Having past the mid-point of our Caribbean cruise, we were already liking the way the holiday trip was progressing. There was simply not much of a hassle, not much thoughts on where to go, where to eat and where to sleep as this was pretty much taken care by the cruise. There was even enough time to catch forty winks whilst on board after the island visits, making it really relaxing unlike other sort of trips that we were used to.
Antigua was the port of call for the day and similarly, we weren’t prepared on what to expect for this trip. Read up the “Lonely Planet” and decided on getting to Nelson’s Dockyard and Shirley Heights for the views and maybe visit Stingray City for interactions with the feared infamous killer of Steve Irwin. There were tours available but if we had decided to go with the tour, it would have been consequently 3 days that we were with the cruise tour and it would become a little straining on our budget (after all, tours were a little more expensives since they guaranteed that the cruise would wait for you if the tours were delayed, unlike in self arranged tours where you would be left behind).
So we decided to take the plunge and explore Antigua on our own. After breakfast, we disembarked quickly and went to nearest Hertz to get a car. Taking a taxi would be difficult because attractions were pretty far apart and that would really cost us if we booked the whole day. Getting a car gave us flexibility of timing. We weren’t sure of the driving conditions but heck, they wasn’t much time to decide. We checked with the information counter near the pier and she brought us through alley to a sheltered location on the outside of a building and asked us to wait as the Hertz personnel hasn’t arrived for work. It sounded dubious but since it was from the information counter that was commissioned by the tourism board of Antigua, we didn’t really get overly suspicious. Sure enough she arrived after a while and set up a little table to get the paper work done. I would have thought that there would be a fixed company space for such a big company such as Hertz and would never imagine settling the paper work and the credit card payment on a makeshift office table and a portable card swiping machine. But if it meant getting the car early, it didn’t really matter. After filling up the forms, we were brought to our car and that was just parked around the corner. Requested for GPS but there wasn’t one around and thus we depended on general map and common sense to get us around.
Our ship and another company’s.Welcome sign to Antigua.
First stop for us was Nelson’s Dockyard, located some 40mins away, at the southern eastern side of the island. Since the driver sits on the right hand side, the same as Singapore, it was just 2nd nature for me. We studied the map for quite a bit to ensure that we exit at the right exit, if not that the impact from detours could be quite catastrophic. Since Nelson’s Dockyard was at the end of the highway, it would be quite easy if we made it to the highway.
Entrance of Nelson Dockyard.Nelson Dockyard’s parking lot for yachts.Old barracks transformed.Nice little place to chill.
On arrival, there was parking readily available. We proceeded into the dockyard after purchase of tickets and explored abit. It was an area previously used by the navy and there were barracks styled buildings now converted to cafes and museums to explore. It reminded me of Dempsey Hill except that this was a dockyard and there was a sense of quietness about the place that made it so relaxing. Visited the museum and walked around abit before we headed out for our drive to Shirley Heights.
View of the pier.
Without the GPS, it was a little difficult to get to Shirley Heights as there were big road signs to point us towards it. Had to stop a few times ask people along the way and the streets were busy especially at the town near Nelson’s Dockyard. After wandering around, we somehow managed to find the road that brought us uphill towards the top of Shirley Heights, and it was a good thing that we didn’t give up because the view was exceptional.
Building atop Shirley Heights.Fantastic view of Nelson Dockyard.Lovely view of bay and yachts.View from Shirley Heights.Our ride in Antigua.Once an observation deck for the British, now for the tourists.
We spent quite a bit of time at Shirley Heights as there were a few vantage points to go to. We were suckers for seaside views and the cool wind with the beautiful weather made it all the more endearing. Antigua was starting to turn out as a nice surprise for us since we weren’t certain if it was just like any islands.
We knew that we can’t stay there forever as there was one more activity in our list, Stingray City. It was located north of our location and looked like another 40 mins away. From Shirley Heights, it was not difficult to get back to the main highway since there was just a single road down. It actually started to drizzle while on the way there, typical of the tropical weather but that ended as soon as it started.
Getting to Stingray City was pretty easy as there were already signboards on the road along the way. There was a private parking place for guests and that took off some of the concerns of leaving the car unattended.
Went straight to the registration area to register and we had to wait for the next slot which was about 2pm (can’t remember so better call and asked if you intend to go). Since it was about an hour for the whole activity, we would still make the ship departure. Signed up and waited at the bench for further instructions when nearer to the time.
The staff first divided hordes of passengers into 2 big groups, one that were from the cruise and the others as independent travelers. Obviously the cruise group was much bigger and we were lucky that we didn’t end up in that group. Then our group was further split into subgroups to get the gears and the life jackets. Before boarding the boats, there was a elaborate briefing on the dos and don’ts and we were then ushered onto boats and we were went straight into the open seas.
Waiting for our turn to go out to sea.
Some 10 mins later the boat slowed down and we see people getting onto a floating platform that was somehow blended with the hues of the seas. Then people started to get into the seas and they were all standing up and the water was only up to waist level. Amusing to see something like that in the middle of the ocean. But what’s to come was even more amazing. Like a the B52 stealth bombers closing in on their targets, these gentle winged creatures came from everywhere to the barricaded area where the humans were standing. Just like what the staff previously explained, they were all like pet dogs, you could pet them as they swam by. The large female dwarfed the male ones but all behaved the same. Time to snorkel and watch them underwater!
Each staff accompanied their subgroups and tried to give an introduction of the stingrays and also informed that we could pet them, feed them and carry them. But you have to “warm them up” before carrying them. It was like trying to gain their trust first.
Staff showing how to pet a stingray.Feeding a stingray.Getting close to me after being fed.
I took some feed from the staff (small fish) and try to place it under and incoming stingray, since the mouth was on the underside. Then I felt the vacuum as the fish was sucked out from my hand. Nice! But then the worrying thing happened, the stingray didn’t stop coming forward and seemed to go straight towards me. There were instances where the stingray actually ended up sucking on the body of another guest and I thought I was going to get that too. Fortunately, it changed direction after pushing me a bit.
Staff showing the guests the stingray mouth.
As staff were carrying stingrays and there was one that actually flip it up a bit to reveals its teeth. Then I wanted to carry too so I approached one of the staff (who already had a stingray) to teach me how to do it. Took a little time for warming up and some amount of courage and the rest was all history (as seen from the sequence of photos below).
My experience with trying to carry a stingray.Floating platform where we stood.Out in the ocean.
Good times were short and soon we were getting off the water and back in the boat and on the way back to shore. Took a quick shower at the toilet and went to the shop to check what the people had on offer. There was also dvd with photos of myself which I thought was pretty good and so we bought it. Were contemplating on the stingray soft toy but didn’t get it in the end, partly because it wasn’t cheap and also we didn’t have a place at home for it. There were a couple of caged animals in the area which we saw and then we left afterwards back towards the pier.
Parrot.Monkeys.Sleepy iguana.
When we reached the pier and back to the same car park where we picked up the car, I had to call the same woman who had handed us the keys but she didn’t pick up. I then went back to the same information counter and they had helped me to call her. We finally handed over the car and went around the shops to look around. Went to one of the food stall to get some small food (as we hadn’t had lunch) and when back to the cruise after that since there weren’t much time left.
Antigua shopping street.A cathedral seen from the ship.A bright moon out at sea.
The trip to Antigua was awesome since it was really unexpected and we wished we had more time to savor the beautiful views. We shared our experience with our dinner companions and they also felt the same although they did different activities. Back in the cabin, we were greet with a cute evil creature.
The fourth day of our Caribbean cruise started with a unimpressive sun rise. It seemed like we were going to expect another similar weather like the disappointing St. Lucia and that would suck. Though we were really interested to the Caribbean, we really didn’t have any idea what to do when on the islands other than St. Lucia. For Guadeloupe, it was the same case and during our rest time in the cabin, we booked another tour, this time choosing to do a trekking activity to Carbet Falls and also a visit to a local rum distillery, called Longueteau Distillery, where Guadeloupe was known for its rum.
Sunrise interfered by clouds.Rainbow welcome.
Similar to the previous day, there was a meeting time on the port for us and after breakfast, we disembark and met the tour guide before boarding the bus.
Stalls near the cruise ship.
The first stop on the tour was to visit Changy Hindu temple, which was closed. We got off the bus and stood outside to take photos while the guide explained some history to the temple. I was just amused to find a Hindu temple in the Caribbean.
Hindu temple.
Afterwards it was a long journey on the bus as the Carbet falls, south wards from the port at Pointe-a-Pitre. The bus moved along a highway and there were much interesting along the way. As we neared the entrance point, the the bus coach needed to maneuver its way up the curvy 2 lanes and it particularly busy that day. It really took a lot if skill to get us safely at the top and we were all pretty impressed when we saw the bus negotiated a turn with another vehicle coming thru the other direction, that when he was successful, the passengers all clapped in unison.
The Carbet falls was located in a bigger national park. Along the way as the coach climbed, we saw that the leaves of the plants seemed to be particularly larger than usual. It was as if the plants were from Jurassic Park. We alighted at the entrance and started the walk towards the falls, with the guide taking the lead. It was a really easy walk with roads that were well seasoned and wooden path were available.
Start of journey.Double water falls. Its like water pouring from the clouds.
We were able to see the 2 falls somewhere near the entrance and took a shot there. Waiting time to get a shot was low since the park wasn’t really busy.
Signs in French.Clear gushing water streams.10 more mins.
Just like any national park, there were signs abound to aid the independent trekker or the locals to move around the park, thought they were in French. It was a really refreshing walk, being so close to nature. There weren’t any mosquitoes too.
Easy access.Finally, the falls but with blocked view.
The walk took some 20ish minutes, but the final location wasn’t really up to expectations. There was a deck where you could get to snap photos with the falls in the background, but for some reason, we weren’t able to get a clear shot, likely due to the overgrown shrubs that were overhead. There were some trekkers that went past our location, although taking different route that was off the beaten track but because we were tied to the tour group, we weren’t in the position to explore ourselves, and had to walk all the way back to the coach.
Big leaf.
The final stop of the tour was to visit a rum distillery where we could get to taste their rum and purchase some if we liked. Once arrived, we were greeted by a large field of sugarcane and then a nice residence with a pair of German Shepherds. Friendly large dogs were running around and playing, excited to see a busload of visitors.
Owners’ residence.Their pet doggy.
The guide introduced the area and distillery and brought us around to what looked like an abandoned plant. There we saw the various machineries and equipment that totally reminded me of my workplace minus the grime. There were a few signboards placed around and we were free to roam the 3 storeys of the plant but many didn’t stay long. I thought we were going to see a live distillery and some “work in progress” but since nothing was moving and so was kind of a let down for me.
Storage tanks.Machinery.A sense of familiarity with the place that I worked.
As usual, an expected shop, as of all tourist locations, where the run that was distilled could be tasted. The people behind the counter weren’t shy when it came to tasting and they were giving the crowd whatever the people wanted to taste, albeit in small quantities, but the crowd weren’t shy either, swarming the counter like a buffet table and tasting as many as they could. We tried 2 fruity flavoured too, one being ever popular Caribbean fruit banana and it was ok. We weren’t alcohol people and anything that had high percentage of alcohol just reminded us of surgical alcohol. It was mentioned that they had won some kinda award for their rums at an international rum meet so I guessed they do have some quality in their products. Nonetheless, we didn’t buy any and neither were many of those who were busy tasting the rum.
Banana flavoured rum.Barrels of goodies.Award winning rum.Small distillery.
We arrived back in Pointe-a-Pitre relatively early and thinking that there was still some time till departure, we decided to take a walk around. We hadn’t had lunch and it was be nice to try something there. Just like the St. Lucia the previous day, the town was made up of small vintage buildings in French architecture and it was an interesting feeling to see them. Maybe it gave us the feeling like looking retrospectively on France in the past. We weren’t sure of the security and some of the streets leading from the cruise were quite empty but it was ok. With a simplified map in hand, something from our “Lonely Planet”, we went venturing.
Graffiti.Quiet streets.French architecture.
After walking a while, we saw a square where there was a sheltered market. Didn’t explore much as we didn’t think we would find food there.
Market.Fountain in front of the market.A touch of modernity in the old town.
Walking to park, we managed to locate a cafe and decided to have lunch there. My wife was able to comprehend bits of the menu in French (some practice for her) but the guy serving us could speak English too. Food was ok and we paid in Euros since it was a country belonging to France. After lunch, we walked a bit more, got ourselves an ice-cream to cool off the heat before heading back to the cruise.
Cafe for lunch.Some chicken.Some salad.Old looking movie theatre playing “The Hobbit”Court?Drummer boy statue.View of the Guadeloupe port from the top deck.Leaving Guadeloupe.
Yet another animal appeared in our room after dinner. This made us looked forward to going back to the cabin.
Xmas Eve was spent cruising in the seas, en-route to the next port of call, St. Lucia. It was sort of like a short break within our holiday to just chill and do nothing. We had gotten ourselves some books from the mini library and it was just the best time to read them in our room. Sitting out in the balcony with a book in hand while enjoying the gentle sea breeze felt awesome. There were of course a couple of activities on board that the cruise had organised, such as cooking classes and a basketball match but we weren’t interested. The time was also spent on looking at the available tours for the rest of the days and find decide which were the ones we would be most interested. We decided on the next day’s drive-in volcano tour which included a view point to admire the Pitons and made the booking thru the TV.
After watching the sun go down over the balcony, we got ready for the Captain’s reception where by the guests were expected to dress up for the occasion. Because of this, we had purposely bought dress and suit so that we could dress up a little more formal. But we were impressed when we saw people coming in with tuxes and gowns and there were various locations where cameras were set up with a fanciful background to capture the moment – felt like I was attending the Grammys.
There was a special menu – lobster, for Xmas eve dinner and also a little performance put up by the service crew of the restaurant, singing Xmas songs and merry making. We had a wonderful time, together with our well dressed dinner companions in the heartwarming company of the cruise staff.
Hues of sunset from the cruise balcony.
When we returned to the room, another surprise animal awaits on the bed.
Is this a dino?
As we awoke the next morning, the ship was just about cruising into the port of St. Lucia. This day was one of those days that we chose to follow a tour instead of roaming by ourselves. We had to meet the tour guide at port at the stated 915am for the La Soufriere Volcano tour that we booked previously. The tour tickets were delivered to the room so we just had to bring these along while we tried to find the right tour guide amongst the a few number of them there, some with signs and some without. There were plenty of cruise passengers everywhere and some joined the same tour as ours and many others joined others. When everyone had arrived, we all boarded a bus and were on our way.
Port of St. LuciaLa Soufriere tour.Old building.City hall?
The island was mostly rural and had lots of green covering wide spaces. The town was not as much more developed either, with small buildings lining the street. I suppose many people here worked on agriculture for livelihood, especially the many banana plantations that could be seen all around, and also tourism, being part of the Caribbean.
After passing through a town, we arrived at a location with a good viewpoint of the port where our cruise ship was anchored. The coach stopped for a short photo taking session. There was a view deck built there but was under maintenance and thus we had to take photos anywhere on the side of the road.
View of the port.
Our coach continued onwards till we reached another viewpoint, this time of the Marigot Bay, a gorgeous looking hideaway for many private yachts. From where we were standing, there was a local business selling the famous banana ketchup. There was a table that had all the sauces that were made from banana and samples were available for us to try. It really tasted like ketchup but we didn’t get any in the end.
Marigot Bay.All the different type of fruit sauces.Streets of St Lucia.
As we headed towards the volcano, we passed through towns with rustic buildings. No signs of any towering skyscapers and crowds, just a quiet small town.
The Pitons
The Pitons came into view from out of nowhere as the coach moved on higher grounds. Managed to get some shots before going out of sight again.
Ancient building in heart of town.
When we arrived, the skies was getting dark and a slight drizzle was going about. There was a building where we all sat in for some introduction on the La Soufriere volcano. After that, we were all brought to a place where we could see steam and smell sulphur, signs of life of this dormant volcano. It was called a drive-in volcano because the road actually bring passengers all the way through and into the crater, so we were actually standing in the crater of the volcano itself.
Drive-in volcano. The road led to the crater.Stream near the volcano boiing sulphur.
The next stop on the itinerary was the Maranatha gardens. The drizzle came back just as we disembark and that affected the walk around the garden. We had to walk single-lined quickly through the plants and not able to see anything much, though there weren’t much to see in the first place. It was a quick walk-about and after that we walked over to the nearby Beacon restaurant for some local bites. At this time, the weather was gloomy and thus impeded the beauty of the Pitons, with the peaks mostly hidden by the clouds. The restaurant was extremely crowded due to many people choosing to take shelter from the rain and many buses actually bring passengers to the same location. Took some BBQ food and bought a drink. It wasn’t great and there was also a rush to finish the food and get onto the bus in addition to the lousy weather, it didn’t turn out like we expected – disappointment.
Flower at the Maranatha Garden.Lunch at the Hilltop restaurant.
It was a long ride back to the harbour, without any stopping. Went around the shops near the cruise ship for window shopping and sat at one of the bars to get some drinks, such as the tasty Pitons beer. There were also stalls selling the banana ketchup and neither did we get those there. The views of the calm pier was nice and so we just enjoyed the moment, shooting some photos before we returned to the cruise.
Bar near the port for some St Lucia beer.Bottles of banana ketchup.
We went up to the top deck of the cruise to look at St Lucia as the cruise ship pulled out from the pier and back into the open seas. The drizzle inland could be seen and a rainbow appeared faintly in the background.
The swimming pool at the top deck of the cruise.Rainbow in the background.
Night time was more or less same as previous, and this time there was an elephant in the room when we returned. It was amazing how they managed to keep the towel origami different each time.
