Blogs from Atlantic, Oceans and Seas - page 14

Geo: 20.5672, 96.9159 We love this country! Having come from India, it's almost quiet and clean here. It isn't really, but it's like knocking your head against the wall, it feels so good when you stop. Seriously though, we love India. And Myanmar is a sweet place with kind, friendly people who appear to love their lives and appreciate their new-found-on-the-road-to-democracy country. Bagan: I can walk for exercise - it's safe, I don't have to do it at 6:00am because of the heat, and there are somewhat quiet side streets. People sing out 'good morning!' from their window or scruffy yard - a dirt covered space with a plastic chair or two, maybe a bamboo bed where the laundry gets done - with big smiles on their faces excited to greet me as I walk by.Bagan ... read more

Geo: 18.3428, -64.9265It's another 6am start. That's early for a couple of retired old geezers but our shore excursion starts soon after we dock at 8am so we need to get started. Today we're going on a catamaran ride to St John Island for some snorkeling, followed by snacks and drinks before returning to St Thomas Island. A room service breakfast will get things started. In 1917, St. Thomas was purchased along with Saint John and Saint Croix by the United States for $25 million in gold as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Caribbean and the Panama Canal during the First World War. The United States Virgin Islands is the only place under United States jurisdiction where the rule of the road is to drive on the left. The population of St Thomas is around 50,000. ... read more

Geo: 21.462, -71.1365It's 6am when our wake up call comes in. I'm up but Mom needs more time. Our room service is scheduled for 6:30 so we need to be ready. Karen finally climbs out of bed and makes it to the bathroom just before our breakfast arrives. Ahhh. A continental breakfast with coffee, fruit and milk. I figured we'd never get out here on time if we went to breakfast in the Lido so the breakfast came to us and we were off the ship by 8:15am. It's a short day as we must be back on board by 2:30pm. We have a busy day planned on Grand Turk in the BWI starting with a golf cart rental. I made arrangements a couple of months ago to rent a golf cart so we could cruise ... read more

Geo: 17.1224, -61.842As promised, we got Rob to Antigua in time to meet his wife, Vicki, at the airport. He moved ashore, and they enjoyed a week's vacation in a rental unit right in Jolly Harbour, just a short dinghy ride from where Inspiration was anchored. With them so close by, we spent an awful lot of time on shore, as it was a week of birthday celebrations. Both Vicki and Tony had birthdays that week. Together we all enjoyed a few of the beaches of Antigua, several restaurants, markets, side of the road roti shacks, goat, donkey and cat watching, and simply relaxing and spending time with good friends on their deck overlooking the water. One day, while Rob and Vicki had fun touring the island, Tony and I spent the day at their rental ... read more

Geo: 14.4721, -60.8697After bringing in the New Year with a BANG! in Bequia (literally), we sailed up to Martinique to take care of the repair work. For those who haven't heard, we were hit by a 57 foot charter boat while we were sitting at anchor in Bequia. We were lucky to have been hit by such a large boat. The damage was localized to our teak toe rail, and the fibreglass deck at the point of impact. The charter company covered the repairs, and gave us a dock to stay on for the two weeks while we were there. We made the best of a bad situation. We used the time to explore Le Marin more so that we would have if we had been anchored out. It's not often that Inspiration is on a ... read more