Day twentynine, Sunday 27th February, still at sea

And it isn’t being very nice to us.  It’s been getting steadily rougher since we left Antigua. Today the captain described it as “very rough”.  The waves are quite awesome I suppose, and the wind is giving it some, so much that the decks have been closed off to save us getting blown overboard. Not pleasant really. I don’t like sitting inside, but you cannot really sit outside.  Never mind, the captain promises it’ll be better tomorrow.  Let’s hope so.

The reason I didn’t put the pics on on Friday was because the internet was playing us up, and yesterday I didn’t blog because the seasick pills make me sleepy, and I was in bed straight after the show.   Hopefully they’ll all go on today.

I’ve not done a lot over the last couple of days, except maybe sleep, I’ve listened to one of Moss’s bird talks, watched the new acts at showtime of an evening, and caught the tail end of the pianists classical show this afternoon.   I also went to see the Rosario Trio yesterday afternoon, - they were really good.

The “Rosario Trio” is a group is made up of a violinist, guitar player and a double base player.  When we were on the Braemar, there was a Rosario trio, but it was made up of completely different people to the one we have here on the Boudicca - they played background music. The trio here on the Boudicca plays of an evening outside the restaurants and is enjoyed by the people waiting to go in for second sitting, as well as those in the bar having a drink.  The trio enjoy what they do, and encourage people to join in when they sing or dance about a bit, they are very popular.  So popular in fact, that the passengers asked the management if the trio could have a show on the main stage.  The wish was granted, and they played to a full lounge yesterday afternoon.  As I said, they were really good.  So good that many of the audience gave them a standing ovation. (The night-time entertainers who are no doubt paid a lot more money don’t often get that).  They seemed to love the opportunity, and the audience really enjoyed the show.

Anyway, thas me for now.  Hopefully I’ll manage to the pics from Friday, and the one’s I’ve chosen today onto the blog.

All the pictures below were taken on our riverboat journey from Manaus on 14th February

Day twentyseven, Friday 25th February, Seadays, one down five to go

I have very little to tell you about today.  The sea swell has had the ship moving quite a bit all day, and loads of people have been feeling unwell.  I’ve taken a couple of seasickness tablets myself.  In my case it was more prevention than cure, and it worked, I’ve been fine. (Mebbe I would have been fine anyway, who knows?).  Peter of course is fine.  That man has a stomach made of cast iron, I swear.

So, because of the sea and its effects, I’ve done very little, except doze  (cos the pills make me sleepy).  I helped in Peter’s class again, but only 38 today –(the sea is making its presence known), then up on deck for a laze in the Atlantic sun. Not too bright this afternoon, and very windy, blew all the cobwebs away.

Formal night tonight, so I’ve got Sophie’s posh frock on again, and we watched the Boudicca show company do “Licence to thrill”.  I was really impressed with the singers, they did good.  We went to the Lido Lounge after that to listen to Pat Logan for a bit, then we took part in the “who am I?” quiz.  We got 16 out of 20, and Peter came up with all the answers.

For other info, Peter has been painting scenes from the Amazon, which have proved to be popular, and he’s also produced a painting for the ships charity auction on the 28^th Feb.  And because it’s a sea day and I can, I’ve added a load of pictures from the city of Santarem and the village of Boca Do Valeria on the Amazon, we were there on 12^th and 13^th Feb.

Riverside at Santarem.

Street in Santarem

Boca Do Valeria

View of Boca Do Valeria from Church door

Day twentysix, Thursday 24th February, St. Johns, Antigua

Awwwwwwww......  Our last Caribbean island, and only a short day while we’re at it.  Me n Peter are doing another tour today, “Spectacular Antigua”, as escorts again.  He went off on coach five, me on coach six.

As l said yesterday, I was quite looking forward to this one. Our guide was knowledgeable, with a sense of humour and kept us entertained during the 45 min drive to our first destination within the national park to the Dows Visitors Centre, where we were given an audio visual presentation that was really intended for the primary school children of the island.  But the views from the centre  were, as per the tour title,  quite spectacular.  

From there we went on to see the ruins of the British fortifications, the “Blockhouse Ruins” from where you could see Eric Clapton’s holiday home, and “Shirley Heights” which overlooked Nelsons Dockyard village and the protected harbour.  We could even see the island of Montserrat.  Again, the views were wonderful.  From there we were taken to the Nelson’s Dockyard, which is now a lovely marina and worth a wander around.  All very nice.

Then back to the ship to meet up with Peter for lunch, after which we took a quick wander around the town to get a feel for the place.  It’s quite nice near the Port, but the further you walk into the outskirts, the grottier and more tumbledown it gets.  We visited the local market, and on returning to the port, found bar with free wi-fi, which is where we spent our last hour until boarding the ship. 

A big brown pelican was diving for fish nearby, difficult to take pictures of, but I tried anyway. 

The ship left Antigua at 4pm, and as usual, we went out on deck to watch the island slowly drift away.  After that, exhausted, it was down to the cabin for a nap.  Later, our dinner was outside on the rear deck, and the show was split between a female singer/impressionist/entertainer, and Barnaby the comedian.  Loads of laughs.

We are going to be at sea now for six days, tonight the boat is rocking more than it has done for a long time.  Not enough to make me feel ill....... yet.  But I remember the Captain saying something about rough seas and a storm, so I now have seasick pills at the ready.  We will be back to the sea day routine tomorrow, methinks I may end up reading another book or two.

St John's visit 2012                     Flying from Antigua 2012