So yesterday was a seaday. Peter did his art classes as usual, he's still under the weather, and he was exhausted at the end of it. I helped set up and clear away as usual. Nothing particularly different, except one of the younger passengers who we chat to regularly has been unexpectedly propositioned by another. I say unexpectedly because we both thought the guy was gay! He's also a good 20 years or so older than her, and although she has politely told him she is not interested, he doesn't seem to have understood the statement. The fact that she has a partner at home hasn't deterred him either. He's started to appear in the places she normally hangs out, so she has had to take on a bodyguard. I say bodyguard, I mean a very lovely and very polite gentleman who stays with her and ensures no unwanted advances.
To be honest, her admirer seems harmless enough and no doubt he'll come across someone else to turn his attentions to sooner or later. For now Peter and I find it amusing that she's got herself into this predicament. That'll teach her not to listen to serenading guitar players.
And today we woke to find ourselves on sunny island of Tobago. The weather is a little cooler than it's been in Brazil, but then, we are a few more degrees north of the equator. It's still hot and sunny though. Just what you'd expect of the Caribbean. Tobago is billed as an "Eco Destination", with rainforests, beaches and coral reefs. There are over 6000 species of plants and animals on the little island, which is only 26 miles long and 7 miles wide. Oh, and they race goats! (Yes really.) Just the sort of place I should love.
Peter and I are escorting today - "The Panoramic South", basically an on the bus off the bus tour. In a way we quite like doing them, because they are relatively short and relatively easy. On the other hand, they are not tours we would normally want to do ourselves, because they are mostly a series of photo stops and visits, with a tour guide to explain. Peter and I both prefer to be able to wander off into the "wilds" of wherever we are, at our own pace, investigating whatever we find interesting. (I say "wilds", I mean any street, path, lane or bit of waste ground that we've not wandered across before).
The excursion was OK. Not one of our favourites, but we did get to see some excellent views from Fort King George and Fort James. As usual the guides explained things as we went along. What I found interesting was that they reported an increase in tourist trade since the last hurricane which caused a fair amount of damage to many of the surrounding Caribbean islands. Tobago escaped unscathed, and as a result can recieved the cruise ships, for which they are grateful as they need to boost their economy. At the moment they have a 40% unemployment rate, and one of their main sources of income, banana's, has been decimated due to desease.
We were back to the ship in time for lunch, and then it was time for us to go out and have a look around for ourselves. Peter, as always, needed to find wi-fi. There was free wi-fi at the terminal, which I used to successfully upload a couple of blog posts, but it didn't suit Peter, so he went and find a bar with a good router and settled down for a few hours. I decided to take a walk through the town, past the various stores and offices, noisy bars and busy streets, and find the Botanical gardens, which are only 5 minutes away from the cruise terminal.
I liked this fruit and veg shop, it all looks delicious.
The birds thought so too, and blue grey tanagers hopped around the upper sections, stealing bits of banana where they could. This birds are a bit blurry in this picture, but you can see where they've been helping themselves.
At the gardens I had plenty to keep me occupied. I really need to find out a lot more about lizards and ghecko's, I have seen so many different types on this cruise. Here's another, although I think this might be a skink.
And this spectacled thrush just looks weird.
Having spent a little while in the gardens, I made my way back to Peter, expecting him to be ready to leave, since all aboard was at 17.30. On the way, I passed a couple of bars that seemed to be in competition with each other in terms of which could make the most noise. Both blared out dance music so loud that damage to ear drums was very likely if you stayed in the vicinity for more than an few minutes. People inside and out were laughing and drinking and dancing, a party atmosphere building up. The middle of the road between the two bars was like a crash zone, with the different music tracks coming at you from each site. The noise was almost intolerable.
I got back to Peter, and it turned out we still had another hour, so our return walk was leisurely, taking in the colours and the bustle of the streets. We got to the music bars, and couldn't resist. The dance music was so loud, the beat took control and I dragged Peter into the grotty bar area to dance.
Sadly it was time to get back to the ship, but we left thinking that we liked Tobago. The people are freindly, the island felt safe, and we left it in a happy mood. Maybe we'll go back for a holiday?
We ended a brilliant day with a brilliant moonrise. It appeared amazingly large and beautifully bright orange on the horizon, looking more like the sun than the moon. Tomorrow we will be in St Georges', Grenada. Peter and I are escorting again, "Discover Grenada", but we should have the afternoon to ourselves. I'm looking forward to it.
To be honest, her admirer seems harmless enough and no doubt he'll come across someone else to turn his attentions to sooner or later. For now Peter and I find it amusing that she's got herself into this predicament. That'll teach her not to listen to serenading guitar players.
And today we woke to find ourselves on sunny island of Tobago. The weather is a little cooler than it's been in Brazil, but then, we are a few more degrees north of the equator. It's still hot and sunny though. Just what you'd expect of the Caribbean. Tobago is billed as an "Eco Destination", with rainforests, beaches and coral reefs. There are over 6000 species of plants and animals on the little island, which is only 26 miles long and 7 miles wide. Oh, and they race goats! (Yes really.) Just the sort of place I should love.
The excursion was OK. Not one of our favourites, but we did get to see some excellent views from Fort King George and Fort James. As usual the guides explained things as we went along. What I found interesting was that they reported an increase in tourist trade since the last hurricane which caused a fair amount of damage to many of the surrounding Caribbean islands. Tobago escaped unscathed, and as a result can recieved the cruise ships, for which they are grateful as they need to boost their economy. At the moment they have a 40% unemployment rate, and one of their main sources of income, banana's, has been decimated due to desease.
I liked this fruit and veg shop, it all looks delicious.
I got back to Peter, and it turned out we still had another hour, so our return walk was leisurely, taking in the colours and the bustle of the streets. We got to the music bars, and couldn't resist. The dance music was so loud, the beat took control and I dragged Peter into the grotty bar area to dance.
Sadly it was time to get back to the ship, but we left thinking that we liked Tobago. The people are freindly, the island felt safe, and we left it in a happy mood. Maybe we'll go back for a holiday?
We ended a brilliant day with a brilliant moonrise. It appeared amazingly large and beautifully bright orange on the horizon, looking more like the sun than the moon. Tomorrow we will be in St Georges', Grenada. Peter and I are escorting again, "Discover Grenada", but we should have the afternoon to ourselves. I'm looking forward to it.
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