Marty & Barbi

Here we go again. I think most of you know that Barbi and I are hooked on cruising. This one we have had planned since July 2008, so it was a long time coming, but it came and now..sad sad (sniff sniff) has gone. We were truely blessed to have join us our son Kevin, and his friend Wade. Our good friends from the western Caribbean cruise in '07, Matt and Cami Vail. My parents, Norm and Beverley Schiffman, and my aunt and uncle, Rollin and Vi Mleynek, who also went with us to Alaska last year. On the cruise, as part of a group we put together through our little travel agency, was our friend Stacy and her family. We ran into them a couple times, including our adventure in Aruba to find snorkel gear.

Our trip this time started with flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a challenge in itself from Salt Lake City. Along with mom and dad, and Kevin, who would drive the van home, then would leave himself for the same trip later, at midnight; we left the house at 6:30am. We picked up Matt and Cami at 6:55, got to the airport by 7:30, got checked in. This first leg to Denver, on a United (Skywest) flight, on a CRJ700 regional jet, was to be the beginning of a trip to never forget. We boarded, closed the doors, were pushed out, then the announcement came that the wing flaps were not working, and that someone was coming to see if they could fix the problem. Well, it did not get fixed, so we de-planed and hoped for something good to happen. Lucky for us, our ship did not leave until the next day (Sunday Nov 8), so we should be able to get there somehow. Almost as soon as we got off, someone paged us, and got us on a totally different airline (American), with only one plane change...DFW. We were scheduled to change planes twice..Denver and Washington D.C.., but this flight would not leave until about noon, so there we sat.

Once on the plane to Dallas, we could feel the excitement start to build. We were on our way. The only real bump in the trip, which would take 10 hours flight time, was a very observant and rule book following American Gate attendant in Dallas, who would not let me take my bag on-board, since it was fatter than what was allowed. Not only that, I had my bag, my camera, and the laptop (ooooh, 3 carry-ons). So I was forced to check my bag (Thankfully, we were not charged) for the final leg to San Juan.

Barbi and I, Matt and Cami, and Norm and Bev arrived in San Juan at 10:45pm (Atlantic time..yes, 3 time zones). The air was warm and humid. We rented a minivan from Avis and headed off for the Hampton Inn and Suites. We had to do 3 or 4 u-turns to get there, as the streets of San Juan are not, in my opinion, driver friendly, unless you live there. I will say that the nightlife of San Juan, on a late Saturday night, is exuberant. Our hotel was situated next door to a cock fighting arena, and across the street from many cantinas and resorts. Police, it seems were taking care of situations everywhere. But our hotel was nice, quiet and clean. I would recommend it for anyone heading in that direction. I believe we all were in bed by somewhere close to 1am.

Sunday morning found us up at 7am to get ready for church. We found an english speaking ward on the island, for which we were hopeful to get to. Breakfast was sufficient and tasty, but not anything to get really excited about (biscuits and gravy, and scrambled egg circles). Most of the airline pilots stay at this hotel, cause there were many of them at breakfast. Matt and Cami did not wake up in time, so they missed our first "Shore Excursion" to church. Barbi, me and Mom and Dad, piled in the van. Again, I had to make a couple u-turns, but 45 minutes later, we arrived at church. A nice little ward building, open air, with 10 ceiling fans going, with the bench pews not bolted down (They moved when I sat down), but familiar none the less. The only odd thing we noticed, was that no one greeted us or welcomed us. After the service, we noticed a bus full of tourists leaving at the same time. I guess they are desensitized to having tourists show up on Sundays. Must be a very transient ward. At least we enjoyed the most important part of the service...sacrament.

After arriving back at the hotel, packing up, checking out, and meeting back up with Matt and Cami, we headed out to find the Wal-mart, which according to the map should have been about 3 miles away. After driving for more than 10 miles, making another U-Turn (I am never driving in San Juan again...I swear!), we settled for a K-Mart. Bought the few necessities we were in search for (echinacea, as Barbi was feeling a little cold coming on), we laughed and started for Old San Juan for some sight seeing. But first! Stop off at the cruise ship to drop off luggage.

Just driving up to the ship really got the juices flowing. We will be on board before sunset. And my oh my, the line to check in was 10 miles long..well, I exaggerate a bit. We paid a man to take the bags, hopped back in the van and drove up to Paseo de la Princesa, and very beautiful plaza in the heart of Old San Juan. The main focal point being the Raices ("Roots") Fountain.

Maybe you will notice, but everyone in this fountain is naked! The artist, Luis Sanguino, and architect Miguel Carlo, are depicting the history of the people of Puerto Rico, for the 500th Anniversary of the Columbus' New World discovery, by recognizing the Taino, Spanish, and African cultures, heritage, and influence. I have not been able to find more information on the inspiration for this fountain, but I can only imagine that we come from God in our birthday suit, so he loves us all equally the same. There is a family, a man riding a horse, a woman riding 2 dolphins, and cowboy singing and playing a guitar for a woman, and the woman in the middle looking toward heaven. I believe this fountain is really beautiful. Something for everyone to see. I hear the best time to experience this most romantic place is at sunset.

It was here we got a call from Kevin, who stated he was at the ship waiting to check in. Yeah! He made it! He did not see Vi or Rollin at the airport, so he and wade just headed on over. We next walked around the ocean shore to the San Juan Gate.

The day is getting very warm and the

Humidity is like, WOW! Thank goodness for a shade tree and water. This area is really beautiful. The city wall, built like a castle fortress, is very imposing and incredible. You can walk from Paseo de la Princesa all the way to El Morro, the national park fort that was built to protect San Juan and the harbor.

The San Juan Gate, as seen below and left was closed at night to keep mauraders out of the city. This picture was taken from the slit in the wall of one of the many sentinal towers on the wall around the city. The doors in the gate are stamped with the date 1749. The waters in front of the gate are beautiful and inviting. Considering the heat of the day, I was tempted more than once to just jump. The neighborhood behind the gate is shady and clean. Climbing to the top of the wall gives a very nice view of the harbor, the old city, and along the wall. There are many other statues in the city, including one near the gate depicting a catholic priest and followers. The pitting in the metal reveals just how old this statue is.

Walking back to the Paseo, we came upon an area filled with towering, very pointy and deadly looking metal thingy's. If someone would help in translating the picture below, maybe we all can find out what this area is really about:

I think Crecimiento means Crescendo in music, meaning increase, or perhaps, getting to the apex or tip. At any rate, this area was awe inspiring fo

r me. From here, we toured the selling booths in the Paseo, Matt had a slushy, we drank cold water, admired the public restroom where you had to pay for toilet paper, and enjoyed the shade. Due to the heat, my mom was done pretty quick, and we all really felt the same, so we decided to head for the ship. Mom and Dad and Matt and Cami were dropped off, and Barbi and I took the car back to Avis, then caught a taxi back to the pier. Half way back, and this shouldn't be a surprise anymore, I discovered I left my Nikon D40 in the van under the drivers seat. Praying all the way back, and with the help of the manager of Avis, we located the car and I found my camera right where I left it. I like Avis in San Juan. Good choice. Others have told me nightmares about rental car companies here on the island. Checking in on Princess was a breeze. It took us maybe 30 minutes to checkin and pass through security, and find our way to stateroom R-514, on the Riviera deck, Deck 14...way up high. One level below the buffet!

Above is a Royal Caribbean Ship (Grandeur of the Seas) coming into San Juan Harbor while we were at the gate. (RCCL! I have a few more if you want to buy them!) Our ship did not leave until 11pm, so we ate at the buffet, explored the ship a little, and waited for our luggage to arrive, which did not happen until about 9:30pm. Really late for what we are used to. When we went to Panama in April, our luggage arrived at our stateroom within an hour of us checking in. Our stateroom was spaceous. I really liked the layout. Sideways compared to the "normal" stateroom. Flat panel, LCD TV screens, lots of drawer and closet space, a nice desk for our laptop, so we could take advantage of wireless internet, a small fridge stoked with coke and sprite, robes for each of us. Kevin and Wade were one deck lower in Aloha 517, the rest of our crew were on the Emerald Deck, mom and Dad in E-303, Vi and Rollin in E-629, and Matt and Cami in E-230. Movies under the stars was Sunday night football. 3 different games. Rollin was in heaven.

Day 1 - St. Thomas - U.S. Virgin Islands

Being only about 50 miles from Puerto Rico, I am sure we did not take long to arrive, unless we putted along at 13 knots, which happened a few times. Thinking back, I believe that is what happened, as the seas seemed rough overnight. The slower we go, the more the ocean you seem to feel. The faster you go, the less you feel the waves. Interesting, huh? Well, we decided to get together outside the explorers lounge at 9:45am to meet our ride taking us to Coral World and Coki Beach for some fun and snorkeling. Rollin met me there to tell me that Vi had taken a fall at the stairs around the corner and that she was being attended to and would miss our excursion. I went outside to meet Barbi, Matt and Cami, Mom and Dad, and Kevin and Wade, we found our van and hopped inside. The driver took us up the mountainside through very narrow and winding streets, driving on the left side (That's what they do here..strange). What a beautiful island. Lush and green, Hot and Humid..expecting about 85 degrees with very high humidity. Coral world is a miniature sized sea world. Sea life exhibits outside, including sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, a couple large aquariums, and a building in the ocean that allows you to go below sea level and watch the natural sea life in the area. $21 admission to Coral World for the day. $29 if you want to include snorkel rental to enjoy at Coki Beach next door. I snorkeled, but Barbi wasn't up to it. Kevin and wade spent most of their time snorkeling, but we all enjoyed the exhibits. For a little extra, you could swim with the turtles. The hermit crab to the left below was HUGE! I would find my own starfish like the one above later in Aruba! Cool. There were Iguanas roaming around. Norm fed one some beef jerky..too funny! There was a Lorikeet aviary that you could feed the birds, and a pen with local tortoises and ducks. The snorkeling at Coki beach was awesome. Plenty of room to roam around the rocks. You could buy a dog biscuit on the beach and use it to feed the fish. They would literally swarm to get a bite of the biscuit. Kevin, Wade and I snorkeled over to the building that sits in the water at Coral World and swam down to the winto wave at the people inside.

Heading back to the ship, we stopped at an overlook to take some pictures. I was able to get all of St Thomas Harbor, with our ship on the right side, and 2 other cruise ships on the left (See the picture at the top of the BLOG). In town, we stopped for a bit to find a license plate for Matt, who likes to collect them. Tonight was our first formal night. With my white shirt being out to be laundered, I was stuck with wearing my black flowered Aloha Shirt under my black suit jacket. I was still stylin. Barbi was absolutely beautiful in her blue blouse. All 10 of us fit around the dining room table and ate steak or lamb, pina coladas, and of course dessert! Aunt Vi was in a wheel chair, with a "boot" around her right ankle. They said it was broken, but were waiting for the review of the xray. This is the same ankle that she broke a couple years ago before our Alaska trip. But she was in good spirits. Ricky and Alfred were our waiters. They were so good, I talked with the manager and made sure we could have them every night at 5:30pm. No Problem. wink wink! Things to do tonight? We went to the Princess Theater for a welcome aboard preview of the singers and dancers and some of the acts that would be performing. Kevin and Wade went looking for girls in some of the nightclubs or the pools.

Day 2 - Dominica (Pronounced Domineecka)

Mom and Norm and Vi and Rollin were scheduled to go on a shore excursion to Titou Gorge and the emerald pools, but with Vi unable to walk and mom feeling like she would not have the energy to go very far, they both decided to skip the formal tour and just hang close to the ship. So instead, barbi and I, along with Bev and Norm, went out of the ship and got a taxi to town and shop. As usual, the day was starting out hot and humid. Whew! We got out of the taxi, which let us off real close to the Carnival ship that was ported next to downdown (We were about 2 miles away), which put us smack in the middle of crowds of people. It is interesting that in this port, people are not hounding you to buy things from the souvenir stands, but taxi and tour operators are the aggressive people. Every few steps, "you want a tour?" "You need a taxi?" "I take you to see...." Crazy! The four of us decided to go into a shop that was down some steps where it would be cooler for a bit. Norm and I took the lead. No sooner than I had gone down the steps, when I hear Norm say, BEV! I turned around to find him trying to hold up my mother, who was in the grips of gravity coming down the stairs. As quick as I could, I stuck my hands out to keep her from hitting her head on the concrete steps, but she kept sliding down the steps. We finally got her stopped, when Norm again said, "She's broken her ankle!" We looked down to see her right ankle at a strange angle and the bone almost sticking through her skin. OH MY! We quickly got her in a sitting position, then started discussing what to do next. I went out to get a taxi back to the cruise ship. As we brought her out of the shop, the locals were crowding around and telling us she should go to the hospital. One woman was especially adamant about her going, almost accusing Norman of not being a responsible husband unless he allowed it. We finally agreed. A taxi driver picked up mom, with Norm crammed in the back seat, put her in reclined back, and sped off to the hospital. Later we would hear it was at what seemed 80mph, swerving to avoid other cars and pedestrians. When arriving at the hospital, the driver picked mom up out of the car and ran into the emergency room with her, leaving Norm to get out by himself. Barbi and I would walk to the hospital, through town, about 2-3 miles away. Because of this, we got a good view of the back streets of Dominica, but I never felt unsafe. We asked people at different times, how to get to the hospital, and they were nice to point us in the right direction, in english that was sufficient to understand. We found ourselves within a half mile of our ship, but heading up hill, past a school (Seen to the right here), some run down and nice houses, with gray water running from each house into the gutters, making the smell a little strange, but not as bad if it was sewage. Thankfully, we saw none of that. we rounded a corner, where there was a school for the blind, and we could see the hospital ahead of us. At first, the building looked nice, wouldn't you say so? ------------------------------------->>>

As we got closer, our opinion changed. The windowd to the hospital rooms were open air, with
Slats to keep the rain out. There was a security station at the entrance, with 2 guards keeping watch of visitors and the parking lot. The grounds were relatively clean, though, with trees and plants all around. I went to a processing window and started to ask the nurse where Beverley Schiffman was. I could tell, though I spoke, she already knew who I was here to see. I guess that is not difficult when most of the people in this country look different physically than I do. I stand out! She took Barbi and I back to the emergency room where mom and Norm were. They had put her on a bed, with a boot under her ankle, and they were waiting to go for an X-Ray. The conditions of this room were unlike any I had ever seen. Blood stains on the curtains. Supplies everywhere, though most were in sealed bags, I did find a needle just sitting in a platic bucket on the counter. The only nice thing about this room was that it was air conditioned. We waited and talked about the incident. Second guessed ourselves for coming here. Wished that we all had taken that Shore Excursion, then we would not be in this mess. Barbi remembered that I had brought consecrated oil, so Norm anointed and I gave mom a blessing. To make a long story short, after waiting for a couple hours, then having to pre-pay $60 for the X-Ray, then waiting again for another hour or 2 to find out the break was in 2 places and needing surgery. Then Barbi and I going back to the ship to work with them on helping us figure out the best solution, which turned out to be, get mom back on the ship and arrange transportation back to Utah from someplace other than Dominica, since there were no flights today. With Norm's hearing and having a hard time understanding the english of the locals, Barbi became the expert negotiator. Alex, from the Ship's staff, was instrumental in arranging with the port agent, the hospital, and much to her dismay and disagreement, the ships medical dr, in having mom back on board before leaving Dominica, casting the leg ($700), and getting some medication to east the pain that was now persistant for mom. In subsequent

investigation, we found that we would not be able to get mom home from any following port, any sooner than Saturday night, which is 24 hours sooner than staying on the shipand leaving from Puerto Rico on Sunday. So after much discussion, and now Barbi and Norm negotiating between Alex and the Dr (The Dr. wanted her off), we were able to keep her on-board to enjoy the rest of the trip as much as possible. Now, here is further proof that God watches over his children. 3 days before the trip, mom and Norman were given a cabin up-grade. The cabin they were put in was wheel chair accessable, making it larger than most, and a large space to put a wheel chair into the shower. WOW! Though Dominica was a wash, we learned some valuable lessons. When on this island, make sure you take a shore excursion. The town and it's shops are not all that exciting. Take your ships daily newsletter with you, as it has emergency contact information for the port agent, who in this case was also very helpful in our case. Make sure you have purchased travel insurance. You just never know when something like this can and will happen. It is cheap peace of mind. As Norm said later, be grateful for the excellent medical care and facilities you can visit everywhere in the U.S. They are a hundred times better, and the Dr's more qualified, than many parts in the world. Dinner was just 4 people, Barbi, Me, Matt, and Cami. The first full production of the Dancers and Singers, "So you want to dance." Lunch at the International Cafe in the Piazza.

Day 3 - Grenada

Barbi and I and Cami and Matt decided to head out together today. It is a short day in port, arriving at 7am and leaving at 2PM. As we left the ship, our first view was of a Celebrity Ship, the Millenium, which was in port with us. It is always a remarkable picture to have 2 huge floating cities side by side.

As we left the terminal, as usual, there were a host of taxi and tour operators. We had noticed as we left the ship, up on the hill, what looked like a fort. I thought it would be great to get up there...somehow. As I mentioned it, a voice from beside me said, "you can get there by taking that road over there, or the path up the mountain." A man was there offering us information. I clarified the directions, and we started walking. He walked with us. He started telling us about the city of St Georges, its history, and some of the sites. He spoke to me mostly, since I asked the question. We all knew immediately that he would be looking for money, but we went along with the program. St Georges turns out to be a relatively clean and interesting city. Once we reached the top of the hill to Fort George, we were treated to some fantastic views all around. There were cannons lined up facing the sea. Underground tunnels with rifle ports in the walls. A basketball court where it is said that former Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, was executed, while being tied to a basketball standard, prior to the U.S. Invasion in October 1983. Our ship was stationed at one port. On the otherside of the hill where the fort is, there is another port, with 2 more cruise ships, though smaller. what a beautiful view. From here, we walked down to the city. Here the streets were narrow, only wide enough for one vehicle. We toured a church/school, which was damaged from 2 hurricanes several years ago, and is still being used, but with no roof. we then walked through the biggest spice shopping area around. I was in heaven, smelling the nutmeg and cloves. I just had to get my hand on a bag of nutmeg, still covered with mace, and a bottle of pure vanilla. Sweet! Mom and Norm did manage to get off the ship for a short time, but Norm was not impressed with the shopping mall outside the ship, which, Oh My gosh, was cool and loaded with everything. If only those nutmeg trees also grew money I could get my hands on. We snacked at the international cafe. Put on our suits and went to the pool to sit and watch Mama Mia on the movies under the stars screen. The outside air temperature has been so warm, the pool wasn't much cooler, but still nice to hang out.

Day 4 - Bonaire

We arrived in Bonaire late today, 11 am, which gave us a good opportunity to have breakfast in the dining room. We were able to get mom and Norm, Vi and Rollin to join us there at 8:30. Having breakfast here is so much more relaxing than in the hectic area of the buffet. after breakfast, Barbi and I headed up to deck 8, to watch our approach from the very front of the ship. This area is really awesome. As we were there, Norm came to find us and ask for Barbi's help, because the ship staff were still trying to get mom to fly out. While the 2 of them were talking with Alex, I was treated to a real show of about 100 dolphins, chasing schools of fish for breakfast. Some were jumping high out of the water. it was a truely remarkable sight. Once docked, Barbi and I headed into the town near the ship to explore and shop for a couple more souvenirs for the kids. The buildings here are brightly colored and the area we saw was clean. No one here pestered us to take a taxi or book a tour. Talk about relaxing. We eventually met back up with Matt and Cami, and walked over to a small pier with a bar and some tables to sit down and relax. Kevin and Wade wandered over too. The water was so clear and beautiful turquoise blue. There were areas of dark blue or black, which we paid no attention to, until it moved. A boat driver nearby told us that it was a school of anchovies. Kevin and Wade were hot, so they jumped in and swam for a bit. Shortly after they came out of the water, and we were enjoying the calm moments, I noticed a large fish come up out of the water in the middle of the anchovie school. Immediately, there were calls of shark or Tuna, from Kevin and wade. As we continued to watch the hunting of this fish, I saw bright silver with a stipe down the side, which made me think, Tarpon. I told Kevin, Barbi and the others that I believed it was not a shark, but a Tarpon. Kevin jumped on that quick and started looking for someone who could rent him snorkel gear. He and wade found it close by, put it on, and much to Barbi's and Cami's fears, jumped in to see. Kevin came up pretty quick yelling.."They're huge!" After watching for a few minutes, he came out of the water to let me use the gear. I put it on and jumped in. There were 4 large Tarpon. And the school of Anchovies was unbelievable to watch under the water. In the water beside the pier, there were rocks which made for a nice place for all kinds of colorful marine fish. What an awesome, unexpected place to snorkel. We hung out there for a while before heading back to the ship. I really like this stop in our itinerary. I could spend a week here.

Day 5 - Aruba

This is Barbi's and My second trip to Aruba this year, the first time being the first stop in the Panama Canal trip in Arpil. We had heard that this was to be one of the best snorkeling and scuba places in the Caribbean, so Barbi and I planned to do that together. Finding rental scuba gear proved to be a real challenge, much to our surprise. We bumped in to Stacy and her group, who were also planning on snorkeling. We spent an hour trying to find a place in the town near the ship, but no luck. People kept pointing us to the highrise hotels, especially the Marriot, up the coast a ways. So we hopped a public bus for a $1.30 and headed up to the hotel district. We were pointed to Arashi beach, about 2 miles up the road from the hotel district. It took us about an hour to find anyone who would rent us snorkel gear. What a pain! Then waiting for the next bus...about 45 minutes. What a pain! Arashi beach was close to the California lighthouse, another tourist destination. Overall, a scenic location, but the snorkeling was not all that exciting. No coral reef, few rocks, but lots of sand. But with the time we spent in the water, I ended up with a very nice and red sunburn. DANG! We waited an hour or more for the return bus to return the gear, then waited again for another bus...Did I say ..What a Pain?!?!? We finally made it back to the ship, and were glad about it. I think the most anticipated part of the day was formal night and lobster dinner. As usual, I could not help myself, and I had to have 2 lobster dinners. This dinner was the same as the one for Panama, one lobster tail and 2 very large prawns. The prawns were succulent and tasty, the lobster was sweet and perfect. Everyone, except Kevin and Wade were there. They had already eaten, having forgot about this awesome event. We watched the final performance of the singers and dancers, "Piano Man", a tribute to Elton John, Billy Joel, Liberace, and Barry Manalow. Very good!

Day 6 - Sea day on the way back to San Juan

Having a relaxing day to prepare to head home is both good and sad. This kind of travel is so wonderful, it really is hard to leave. But we took the time to enjoy every last moment. GI Joe; Rise of Cobra showed on the Big Screen outside by the pool. We made sure to thank our awesome waiters, Ricky and Alfred. We also thanked our cabin steward, Adonas, but we were disappointed with him, compared to past cabin stewards. He never once addressed us by name and never returned our 3 pages. Other than those small things, the trip was worth it. I recommend it to everyone.

I won't even go into detail about the trip home and its hassels...mainly around the airlines. What a Major Pain! I will say, don't book on US Airways. We did that, but they in turn booked through United, making it nearly impossible to check-in on-line, meaning, we had to pay more to check baggage at the airport. There has to be a better way to get across country without the airline's issues. Getting back to SLC after midnight and getting Mom and Norm off in their car for the 4 hour trip back to Saint George, without sleep, so Mom could get checked into the hospital for her ankle. Talk about a long day. In bed at 3am, up at 7am, and off to work. WooHoo!

Where shall we go next? Well, we are already scheduled to go back to Alaska on the Golden Princess in September of next year. Who wants to go? We will have a large LDS contengent, so we are planning on Sacrament meeting on the high seas, the day after we leave Seattle, Sep 18.

Barbi still wants to cruise with the whole family for her birthday, Feb 2011..maybe Mexico? I want to go to Southern Europe in 2012, including Italy, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, Israel. Then on to Tahiti in 2014 for Barbi's and my 30th Anniversary.

UP-DATE - Mom's surgery was completed late Monday night, and the doctors are calling it successful. One of the bones was actually broken in 4 different places, along with the other broken bone, but they got it all put back together. No weight on the ankle for 6 weeks. And here we are , 7 days from Thanksgiving. Norm says he has it all covered.

Vi is still waiting for the Dr's to decide what they will do, but they made it home in one piece.

Marty & Barbi

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A New Year, New Obsessions, More Work

Friday, April 16, 2010

Europe - So Close

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Next Adventure

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Southern Caribbean Cruise Nov 8-15 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Panama Canal Cruise April 2009

People who Love us