Our First few days.

Here we are again, at very short notice on board another P&O Ship about to give more lectures, this time in the Caribbean on out way back to Southampton.
We had only a weeks notice to pack and go from Manchester to Barbados on Friday, March 20th. So it was a 4 am start and eventually to bed at what was around 2.30 am UK time next day” We saw precious little of Barbados as we landed in mid afternoon, jumped on a bus and were whisked to the waiting Oceana where our luggage duly followed. Our impressions were therefore limited to a view from the bus, fairly flat landscape and a windswept countryside, mostly grey concrete coloured houses and lots of sugar cane fields.
Next morning we woke early due to the four hour times difference with the UK and found ourselves looking at the very hilly and pretty island of St Lucia. Sue and I volunteered for escort duties and were sent off on a lovely tour travelling by catermaran and coach looking after some very happy passengers. Lots of fabulous reggae music on the cat, sailed into Marigot Beach seen in the picture, dancing, a swim in the warm seas and everyone helped along by a generous serving of Rum Punch. There was a pleasant lunch of local food and a tour of the local volcano and sulphur pools, very smelly but we felt no pain from our trip at all. We were little tired by bed time. Couldn’t find out whether Wales had triumphed over the Irish in the rugby final as CNN did not report it!
Sunday, another Island and another tour for both of us around Dominica, less hilly and less affluent than St Lucia it was never the less a very good place to look around helped by some excellent local guides who showed us the volcanic beaches, botanical gardens and the emerald falls where Sue had a dip in the waters. It’s said that a dip in those will take ten years off your life, so she’s now back to 30!
During the night Ocean ahd continued its journey northwards through the Windward Islands and today, Monday we woke to find ourselves in Saint Maarten, half Dutch and half French so we expect the natives to wear clogs and eat baguettes with a tulip tucked behind their ears! Who knows we will explore as we escort our various tours and report more later... Sadnly it's not possible to post picrues as the ship's system is too slow. I'll try to load some later at aninternet cafe.