We are on the last leg of our journey (well second last for Toner who has a two hour bus ride to look forward to once we land in Dublin) and naturally we are starting to look back over all that we have done in the past three months. We have sailed the Atlantic, spent Christmas in St Lucia, driven almost 3000 miles around the East Coast of America, seen Niagara Falls, visited Toronto for the first time and spent time in London but I think the thing that has struck us both has been the kindness and generosity of the people that we have met along the way.

Leaving New York made me a little uneasy, I had never been to Toronto before and while I was excited to see it and to meet Lorraine’s family I was aware that I was leaving the safety net that I had in New York. My extended Deegan family in New York had made sure that we had numerous places to call home and that we never wanted for anything. They were beyond generous right from the moment we landed when Uncle Nick collected us. We have so many great memories from the time that we spent with them from our walkabout in New York city, to spending New Years with Seamus and getting snowed in with Fran and Peter. These are the kinds of memories that money cannot buy and they left a huge impression with both of us. I never fail to be amazed by the generosity of spirit that lives in the Deegan clan and they did not let me down when I brought Lorraine to visit. Thank you to all of you who welcomed us to your lives and your homes. I love you all.

I need not have felt uneasy to leave as it turns out, because the Toner clan very quickly replaced the safety net and welcomed us with open arms to Toronto. Again we were given a home from home and they kept surprising us with their hospitality and generosity. It was fabulous to be welcomed into another family and to meet them all especially the latest addition to the family: Ciaran. This was such a nice surprise to meet him on our first night in Canada. Dave collected us from the airport and Anne had arranged dinner at their house with Pat and Inge, John, Suzanne and Ciaran. We were tired after another day of traveling but it was so nice to meet everyone and the dinner conversation was punctuated with Toner humour. I felt instantly at ease with everyone around the table.

The next day Dave and Anne took us to see Niagara Falls. I think we were all slightly apprehensive because the weather was not ideal but it turned into a great day. We did get wet standing at the top of the falls but it was amazing to see them and since it was February there were very few tourists around. The area around the falls was more built up and commercial than we expected but this did not take away from the splendour of the cascades.

Dinner that evening was with Pat and Inge and they took us to a Chinese buffet called Dragon Palace. Being from Ireland we don’t have the best impression of Chinese food and when we heard that it was an All You Can Eat buffet I think we became even more anxious. We were worried unnecessarily though. It really was an ideal evening: great food, great place and great company. I was sorry that we could not stay longer (not just because there was all you could eat tiramisu) but we had made arrangements to meet some friends in Toronto and given that we only had three days here we were trying to fit everyone in. We headed in after dinner and went to Ciaran and Domonie’s house. I went to school with Ciaran and although we have stayed in touch and remain good friends I have never visited him in Toronto in the six years that he has been there. He is now married to Domonie and they have a beautiful home in Toronto. It was great to see where they live, meet their dogs and get to spend some time with them.

That night we headed out to PJ O’Reilly’s Pub in Toronto where we met Tim Westmoreland. Lorraine and I had both worked with Tim at Sail Caribbean and it was great to see him again. It ended up being a much later night than we had been planning and we both giggled to ourselves as we sat drinking tea from a cup and saucer in Ciaran’s kitchen at three a.m.

Needless to say we were feeling a little fragile the next morning when we headed off to meet Pat and Inge. We sat and watched the ice skaters at City Hall and while we both wanted to go we also had reasons for not venturing on to the ice that morning. Everyone out there looked like they were really good and I had horrible visions of us stumbling amongst them and causing injury not just to ourselves but to those around us too. And so we sat and soaked up the atmosphere. It was lovely to watch people on their lunch breaks enjoying a skate.

Pat and Inge picked us up and we headed out to meet their son Matthew. We all went for brunch together and the conversation turned to planning a Toner holiday sailing in the Caribbean. With all this family that are talking of coming on charter myself and Lorraine could go into business!! Matthew was heading to Chicago for a stag party and so we headed off again after lunch.

The next stop on our tour was the CN tower. Tim joined us for our trip to the top and acted as tour guide. One of my highlights was definitely getting my picture taken with a giant model of a moose dressed as a Canadian Mountie. Unfortunately it was when I went to take the photo that I realized I no longer had my Ipod with me. This threatened to be a bad day. I tried to forget about it but was worried that we had lost all the photos that we had taken so far in the trip. While losing the Ipod would have been disappointing the photos were what I would have been most put out about. Luckily it was easily solved and Ciaran has kindly forwarded my Ipod which I had left in his house. Should be able to post photos soon!!!!

After the tower we explored Toronto some more with Tim before heading for some food at a pub called The Queen and Beaver, a really relaxed pub with great food. We stayed with Anne and Dave again that night, went for a walk by the lake the next morning and then caught up with Suzanne and baby Ciaran for some lunch before heading to the airport for our flight to London. This flight was definitely the worst so far. We both felt like the trip was coming to an end and although it felt nice to be headed for home it was difficult to imagine that this journey that we had thought about for so long was now winding down. The Atlantic crossing feels like a lifetime ago but we have met some amazing people, reconnected with some old friends and had the time of our lives!

 

Thursday we drove up to Connecticut, there was a light dusting of snow, just enough to make the drive pretty but not hinder our plans. Once again we received a warm welcome from Fran and Peter and to show our gratitude we cooked dinner- good ole Shepard’s pie (Major Doms recipe of course). Friday, we had enough time to enjoy a walk in the snow and then drive up to Hotchkiss School for a camp fair.

Saturday morning we woke up to an idyllic white view, 6 inches of snow had fallen throughout the night and it was still snowing heavy. After numerous weather reports, we decided not to drive to Boston and stay put in Connecticut. All wrapped up, Fran, Emma, Max and I took to the snow covered streets of Colchester. We barely saw another soul as we walked (hiked) through the snow. It wasn’t till lunch time that we saw snow ploughs clear the roads. I had completely underestimated how much work is involved in clearing the snow and making it accessible for everyone. In these parts, that’s how it is and people get on with it- including Fran’s 90 year old neighbour, who insisted on clearing her own driveway.

Back in time for a cozy afternoon on the couch, a chick flick and Max stretched out in front of the crackling fire, all while sipping some red wine. I am not too sure how we got so lucky and ended up in this picture perfect scenario, but hey enjoy it while it lasts.

Sunday morning, a quick breakfast, goodbyes to Fran and Peter and we took to the roads again. We were headed to Phillips Academy, Acton and this was the furthest north we would venture. It was the busiest fair we attended; with over 100 organizations- fingers crossed we get some bookings.

Another long drive for Emma back to our apartment in Northport, just in time to hear the roars from Mike and his guests in the house above as the Giants win the football game.

Monday and Tuesday were spent in the office catching up. Tuesday evening we headed to Commac to meet Emma’s uncle Seamus and his friend Patty. Miranda – our GPS had a little moment but eventually found her way to La Scala. The food was amazing. Still getting used to the massive portions, I don’t know how anyone finishes their dinner, but hey it means you can get it wrapped and have lunch sorted for the next day. It was lovely to finally meet Patty after hearing so much about her.

A flying visit to New York for me on Wednesday, taking the train to the Bronx for a camp fair. Emma and Miranda went on a road trip to Philadelphia.

More skype interviews and office duties filled the rest of the week. Thursday we enjoyed the bright lights of Northport, we grabbed some drinks with the Sail Caribbean office guys and then enjoyed dinner with Liz. We kicked off the weekend with dinner and a trip to the movies. We saw the Iron Lady- for those of you that haven’t seen it, I thoroughly recommend it. Meryl Streep is fantastic and for me I guess it helped put all the pieces together.

Mike asked someone else to cover the fairs in Boston, it was two folded as we were disappointed not to see friends and spend time with Emma’s family but it also meant we were not under pressure and Emma didn’t have to face a long drive back after the fairs. We continued to work in the office over the weekend and enjoyed some retail therapy/ supporting the USA economy, well everyone has to do their bit right?

Sunday night we treated ourselves to dinner at the Ritz- not quiet as fancy as you would think, but still one of the best meals we’ve had. Chatting with the locals we realized there is lots to Long Island we still haven’t seen. Fingers crossed we get to come back again soon.

Charlie, Emma and myself had a lovely dinner with Mike and Janice. Stories and wine, followed by a few more drinks at the Ritz, the perfect way to spend our last evening.

We both felt sad to leave the States, the people who had been so welcoming and generous. On the other hand we were both feeling excited to head to Toronto and the next leg of our adventure.

It feels ages since I wrote the blog, so I thought I would take the opportunity while Emma is still out on the road at a Camp Fair.

Not sure we ever explained what these are? Basically they are aimed at people with money who want to send their kids to a camp for the summer holidays. They are organized by companies or parent associations at the schools, normally 30+ companies turn up.

Each fair is at a different location yet the event is always the same.

On arrival each recruiter scans the room for the best table, then a quick sprint (laden with boxes, banners, bags and coats) over to the chosen table, without hesitation he/she rolls out their table cloth to claim victory over the prize table. Any eye contact with other recruiters is acknowledged with a sympathetic head tilt, secretly saying “haha better luck next time dude” Next the pop up banner is erected-it towers high on the table –domination is key, brochures are fanned, candy bowls filled, pens are clicked, a quick clear of the throat in preparation of the winning sales pitch, a quick adjusting of ties or t- shirts and then it’s action stations!  The doors open ….. I’d like to continue with …that’s when all the parents and kids rush in, but the reality is quite different. Once everyone realizes that there is hardly anyone there, (most people search on the internet rather than attend traditional camp fairs) all the recruiters lose their “game face” and start chatting to their neighboring recruiter. It’s always a great bunch of people. By now we have met most of the recruiters as we all travel about the same camp fairs. Some fairs are busier than others, but most are fairly quiet.

The idea of the fair is simple, parents and kids tour around the companies; you give them your pitch, a brochure and then answer any questions. Most of us are on commission; to motivate us to get contact details etc. It will be interesting to find out how many book onto our programs.

There is heaps of competition, you can do almost anything at camps; from creating your own Xbox game to attending circus school, others involve traveling; trekking in Nepal or saving endangered animals in Costa Rica. Camp culture is huge in USA, some camps have up to 2000 kids, they start going at 5 years old- most are sleep away camps, normally between 3-12 weeks long.

To be honest we both feel lucky as our company is well known, has great promotional materials and if I do say so myself it’s pretty awesome- www.sailcaribbean.com (if you don’t believe me, play the video and you might see some familiar faces.

It hasn’t been all work,  will catch up with the rest of our news soon. 🙂

We had a busy week last week and divided our time between the office in Northport and the road. We visited some schools around New York and New Jersey. There were a couple of occasions where we had to go to separate events. Lorraine was due to be in New York city and I was to visit new Jersey. We thought about having me drop her into the city but the thoughts of driving in New York city freaked me out and so it was decided that she would take the train and I would drive. This plan was great in theory but Miranda, our friendly Sat Nav, decided to make life difficult. Just when I thought we were becoming friends she brought me straight through the middle of Manhattan. There I was, all of a sudden, surrounded by yellow taxis and totally freaked out. I gathered myself and held my ground as huge trucks tried to bully me out of the way. A couple of wrong turns later and I was back on the road to New Jersey.

Lorraine took the train in and after visiting the school went to stay with Cheyenne, David and Dakota in the city. She was laden down with brochures and promotional materials and had to haul her huge backpack all over the city. She did manage to make some friends on her travels and came back with stories of odd conversations on the train.

After my experience driving in the city I decided that I never wanted to drive there again and so we took the train in on Friday night. We were in Connecticut that day and so we parked the car in New Haven and jumped on a train. On our arrival in Grand Central Station Lorraine noticed that the ticket collector had taken away our tickets even though they were returns. As usual I had slept for the entire journey and so was of no use in any of this. We did manage to convince a very nice Customer service supervisor to give us some new tickets. The lady behind the desk gave us some advice as we were waiting: “Trust nobody, If it seems too good to be true then it probably is and Be aware of your surroundings” And so with this knowledge and some new train tickets we set off to find Charlie Covey for a night out in The Big Apple.

We met up with Charlie, Mark, Molly and Gordon (all of whom we worked with at Sail Caribbean) and Lorraine’s cousin Joey. We started the night in a pub called The Galway Hooker and  then moved downtown to yet another Irish bar (Ryans). After these Charlie thought it was time to introduce us to something a little bit different. We all headed to LIT, a basement bar that looked pretty scary from the outside but was pretty cool on the inside. Kit joined us there and we left at about four in the morning with one thing on our minds: food. Charlie had been talking about Philly Cheese Steaks all evening and as I had never had one we decided to give them a try. We were gutted to hear that the place was closed. (well I pretended to be gutted when in fact they sound awful). We settled for a burger and fries which tasted as good as any food does at four in the morning.

There were a few sore heads in Charlies apartment the next morning but we didn’t have time to hang around as we were heading back to Connecticut to visit my aunt Fran and uncle Peter. They showed us a great time in Colchester. I had never been to their house before, it is beautiful and made even more beautiful by the welcome we received. Saturday night was perfect: we had dinner in the house, some wine in front of the fire and then caught up with stories and tales. On Sunday they showed us all around Colchester. We were more than happy to sit in the back seat and have a tour guide. Peter grew up in Colchester and so he knows the area really well. It was so nice to get his view on things. The area was absolutely beautiful with four nature parks within twenty minutes of their house. We ended our tour in East Haddam, a village made famous by the Goodspeed theatre.

We stopped off in the hotel for a cocktail before heading back to Fran and Peters. We stayed with them for another great night on Sunday. Fran made dinner and again all the elements were just perfect: great food, great company, great wine and a fire.

Luckily we did not have to rush away on Monday morning so we took our time, got some work done in the morning and then called to where Fran works to say hi before getting on the road. This time we were headed to Massachusetts. We sent Monday night in Bedford at a pretty average hotel but had fun nonetheless. The area of Bedford is gorgeous. It looks like a Christmas card scene complete with the big house, the lights (still up on 16th January!!) and the local kids skating on the pond. Lorraine got so excited about the ice skating bit that she screamed out loud.

 

This morning we woke up to a light covering of snow. It made everywhere look even more pretty and luckily it didn’t hamper our drive back to Northport this evening. We are heading to New Jersey tomorrow and then back to Connecticut on Thursday and are excited to stay with Fran and Peter again before driving up to Boston at the end of the week.

We had a great week at Seamus’ house in Wading River. Despite everyone suggesting that we go to Times Square for New Years we made the very sensible decision to avoid it like the plague. To us standing in a pen for ten hours and not being allowed to leave just so that you could watch Justin Bieber and a giant ball drop did not sound like fun. And so we got pizza, drank wine and watched Bridget Jones’ diary followed by When Harry Met Sally. Seamus came home in time for us all to watch the action from Times Square and we welcomed 2012 with a bottle of champagne. Perfect!

New Years Day was a pretty lazy day. We went down to the village of Wading River and read the paper over a coffee. It was Sunday after all. We had hoped to have a good walk around Wading River but we didn’t realise that it is tiny. We strolled around the duck pond, up to the old graveyard and then realised that we were back to where we started. But we kept ourselves entertained and joined a whole crew of Giants fans in a sports bar watching the football game.

The next day we set off from Seamus’ in search of Ronkonkoma Train Station. The plan was to get the 12 o’clock train into the city to meet Lorraine’s cousins for lunch. We got lost (a few times), stopped once to ask for directions and had to make approximately four u-turns. We eventually made it in time to catch a coffee before jumping on the one o’clock train and so we were an hour late for lunch. When we got there we met Lorraine’s two cousins David and Fiona. Fiona was in New York for a few days with her friend and they were flying out that afternoon. David was there with his wife Shiane and their gorgeous daughter Dakota. She is such an angel. Lunch was great and it was so mice to meet everyone. It was such a shame that it had to be so short but hopefully we will see David, Shiane and Dakota later in the month.

Tuesday came and it was time to go back to the real world, well semi reality anyway. We caught a train to Northport where Mike met us at the station and after dropping our bags at the house it was straight to the office. We are staying in an apartment in Mike’s basement and it feels so good to have our own little space. We can walk in Northport which is one of the cutest little towns. It is right on the water and has a really nice feel to it. Everyone says hi as you walk down the street and it feels like we have stepped into a film set. We are really liking it here.

On Thursday night we finished work late and so we headed off in search of somewhere to eat. We passed a few places as we walked down the street but they were either really busy with pre-theatre diners or empty and so we kept going to the end of the village. We ended up in a pub and sat up at the bar. As I looked around I noticed that everyone else in the place was one of a couple. It felt like we had wandered into a speed dating venue and as we listened to some of the conversations they all seemed to be asking questions like: “what do you like to do in your spare time?” It was bizarre and add to that the fact that Joni Mitchell was playing in the background and it felt like we were the main characters in a Bridget Jone’s Diary movie.

Today was a great day for us: we got our wheels and now that we have our own transport we can begin to explore a bit more. We picked it up this morning and were delighted when we heard the lady at the car rental office say “The Avenger is ready”. There outside the office, waiting for us, was The Avenger. We had great plans of picking up a few gifts in Wal Mart, finding a nice cafe on the water for lunch and then heading back to the apartment. What actually happened was we spent way too long in Wal Mart because it is the size of a village, found a mediocre pub for lunch and then went back to the apartment and did some laundry before settling in for an afternoon of catching up with Grey’s Anatomy. A little bit boring but a good day nonetheless.

Tomorrow we head on the road for the first of the camp fairs that we are going to attend. We are very glad that Mike bought a Sat Nav for us to use because otherwise the next month might have been spent driving in circles.

Flying into JFK I felt both excitement and a little nervous. Neither of us were quiet sure how we would react to the cold and more so the craziness of a busy city in the height of the holiday season.I am happy to say that all these fears  dissolved within minutes of passing through the arrivals hall.

Emma’s family are like many of our Irish families, there are lots of them!!!  four of her dad’s sibling living in and around NYC. Emma’s uncle Nick – (the spitting image of her dad, for a couple of minutes I actually thought it was her dad on a surprise visit) picked us up from JFK and whisked us out of the towering lights and honking traffic to  Seamus’s house, Long  Island. My heart raced as I got used to driving on the “wrong side of the road”, distracted only by the flashing white, red and green Christmas lights, nativity scenes and giant Santas that decorated all the houses -just like in the films.

Two minutes in the door and the kettle was on- loving this Irish hospitality. Seamus’ house is  complete contrast to our tropical paradise, it’s decorated with beautiful traditional decorations, hosting a blazing fire and the sweet smell of cinnamon and pine needles wafts through the air- bliss.

The house is set in a sleepy community- Wading River,  with a lake and a forest trail just 3 minutes from the front door, deer often roaming in the garden. No snow yet but we are not bothered, I am sure it will arrive before we leave. It’s been a relaxed couple of days , catching up on sleep in a comfy bed,  hot showers, a shopping trip to stock up on fleeces etc,  drinking wine in front of the fire, walks in the forest and lots of nattering over a pot of tea.

Yesterday we ventured into the City, Deegans on mass ! We met up with Fran, Peter, Nick, Maureen and Kenneth. The  Deegan walk about was great craic as we chatted from block to block,  tilted our heads back and took in the sights. It was a little overwhelming at times as people pushed and shoved past.  It was bizarre to stop and watch people snap the camera and then rush from one attraction to the next, no one taking time to stop and appreciate the view there and then. I guess that’s life in NYC.

A few  drinks in The Perfect Pint and then onto a beautiful Italian for dinner. It was a great day and many thanks to all the Deegans for making me feel so welcome and at home, so many miles from Ireland.

On proof reading this Emma had reminded me of the three hours that I missed out. I was so taken aback by all that we saw that I left out some of the details. Before we got as far as our first meeting point we stopped for some liquid refreshment at Maggie’s bar and then headed to St Patrick’s cathedral. There we met Fran and Peter and we began our walk about. We headed to the Rockefeller Centre, saw the tree and the ice rink, saw the Christmas windows, including one made for Lady Gaga (one window display was made of hair), walked to Times square and saw where all the festivities will take place tomorrow night. We were slight;y disappointed to not see the naked cowboy but didn’t have time to dwell on it as we were very soon perched on a bar stool in The Perfect Pint being served by a bar man from Laois. Here we had a couple of pre-dinner drinks and then walked to Naples 45 for dinner!!!!!

So here we are in New York. We arrived late last night and after a long day of travel were delighted to see Uncle Nick right outside the doors of JFK. It was a great last few days in Rodney Bay.

Christmas day was definitely one to remember. I woke up early, it wouldn’t be Christmas Day if you didn’t, and I made pancakes and bacon for us. Lorraine headed off to Skype her parents in Dunshaughlin and I joined her to say a quick hi before we headed to church. We walked to the church in Gros Islet and it was alot quieter that morning than it had been on Friday night. There were a few excited children running around and singing in their gardens as we walked past. We had it on good faith that the service started at ten and we were not the only ones heading in that direction. However when we got to the door the usher (dressed in bright caribbean waistcoats) informed us that mass had started at nine but we were welcome to join. She showed us to our seats and we were glad to see that we had not missed too much. The service was amazing. The church was full of Christmas spirit and the congregation lifted the roof for every carol. The people were so well turned out and we wondered at this. Some of the houses look like no more than a tin shack and the people were absolutely immaculately dressed. Some of the women would not have looked out of place at a ball and the children all looked so smart with the boys in shirts and slacks and the little girls in beautiful party frocks. The whole service was lovely and one of the nicest parts happened just before the end. The priest asked for all the visitors to stand up. Lorraine and I took to our feet along with about fifteen others, out of a congregation of three hundred. The entire congregation sang a song of welcome and then they turned and shook our hands. People left their seats to come shake our hands or give us a hug and it was such a beautiful feeling to be part of this community so far from home on Christmas Day.

After mass we headed back to the boat via a minor car crash outside the police station. Back on the boat and Santa had arrived, well Secret Santa anyway. Sam received some beeswax so that Lorraine can give him dreadlocks although not sure his hair is long enough. Lorraine’s wish came true (kind of) and she she got a CD of a local artist called Ashanti! Now if only we had a CD player to take to the beach with us. I wasn’t sure if my secret santa was even going to arrive but Sam pulled it out of the bag and gave me a beautiful bracelet. We opened our presents with a glass of champagne in hand (thank you Tim for your kind present) and then got our stuff together and headed to the beach. We had seen that there was to be a Beach BBQ available at the Yacht Club on the beach so we headed there. We had all our food and drinks loaded up and threw some beach toys into the bag to keep us entertained. When we got to the beach there was no sign of a BBQ so we contented ourselves with swimming and lying in the sun for the afternoon. We thought that perhaps it was going to happen later on but were disappointed when nothing materialised.

Andy came to the rescue and sweet talked a local vendor into letting us use her grill when she was finished with it. “Aunty Jane” had a small stall on the side of the beach where she was selling chicken and drinks. Andy did his magic and she said that of course we could borrow it. Some of her “boys” even moved it down to where we had our towels set up so that we could have our BBQ right on the beach. The price: a sausage for aunty Jane and a burger for one or two of the boys. One of the guys, Lucky, told us that she was like an aunt to all the locals and she seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping them in line. We shared our food and our drinks with these guys and in return we used their grill and Lucky got ice for us from the local bar. A fruit vendor walked by and sold us some limes which greatly improved the “mojitos” Lorraine had made and brought to the beach.

When some of the boys who appeared to be very drunk started getting a little loud and rowdy we decided that it was time for us to head home. We had had a great day and we just didn’t want anything to spoil it. We had chilled on the beach, played volleyball and crazy golf, watched the sun set, chatted to the locals, grilled a great Christmas dinner, enjoyed some drinks with friends and all in all had a fantastic Christmas day. We got a taxi who told us one price before we left and then tried to rip us off when we arrived. This left a bitter taste in our mouths and we were slightly annoyed that he had tried to trick us into paying more.

It was still early and we were all keen to stay up and hang out. I still hadn’t spoken to anyone back home in Hill Farm House and so I left the party to Skype. It was great to see everyone and I was a little envious of them sitting by a big roaring fire in the sitting room. I am sure that the envy went both ways as they saw me sitting in the marina enjoying a drink. As we shared a toast over video skype I did feel a strange mix of sadness and joy. I am always happy when I am travelling and I have loved every minute of every adventure that we have had but there is always a huge part of me that always wants to share it with my family and friends the world over.

St Stephen’s Day was a day for finishing off some jobs on the boat. We rose early to get everything done and it was very satisfying to get the jobs ticked off and know that we have done some good work over the past few weeks. We also had some admin to take care of and tried to get some flights booked and catch up with some people. We wanted to be ready to go early the next morning. We booked a train to Canada (to keep immigration off our backs) and flights home for the first week in February. We are both really disappointed that we are not going to make it t New Zealand this time but I am excited about going home for the Spring. We are so very sad that we won’t get to share Tiny and Gemma’s big day in New Zealand but we both feel confident that we have made the right decision.

Our final night in Rodney Bay was spent with Sam and Andy. We went for pizza together and then got ice cream as we headed home. Circumstances meant that Andy’s girlfriend could not fly out to spend Christmas with him and so he came to us. We were delighted to have one more person join our little gang for the holiday celebrations and it was a Christmas to remember. He was such easy company and we were sad to say goodbye to him. He plans to continue traveling and has some great plans. I hope they all work out for him.

And now we are on the next stage of our travels. We got up early yesterday to finish packing (last minute as always), make sure our travel plans were going to be ok with the American authorities and have our final breakfast at Rodney Bay. We said goodbye to Sam just after nine o clock and headed to the bus stop to catch the local bus to Castries. This was going to be the first leg on our journey to New York. We were anxious to be leaving. We had been there for three weeks and had really started to make the place feel like a home from home. We had spent all of our time as a little gang of three or four and now it was going to be Toner and Deegan again. We also felt bad to be leaving Sam. He has become like a little brother to us. I am not sure how he would feel about being described as our little brother but we have developed a soft spot for our “watch leader” who brought us across the Atlantic. He was amazing and I really hope that he knows this. He is after all only 18 and this was an amazing undertaking for him.

And so with heavy hearts but alot of excitement we headed off. We had decided not to take a taxi to the airport, it would have cost us US $80 and the bus was going to be about US $10 for both of us. The bus to Castries was uneventful, the bus driver offered to take us all the way to the airport (for a price of course) and then agreed to drop us to the next bus stop that we needed (for another, smaller price of course). When we got there the bus was waiting and had a few people on it. Our bags were quickly loaded up and the driver informed us that we would have to pay for four seats on the bus, two for us and two for our bags. Lorraine argued with us and in the end we agreed that we would take our bags on our laps. The airport was an hour and a half away and it was a small bus. As we sat and waited for the bus to fill we realised how hot and squashed the journey was going to be. By the time we reached the airport we had our minds firmly made up: it was worth getting the bus. It took a route that we had not travelled before and was even more beautiful than the parts of Saint Lucia we had seen, it cost us a fraction of the price and it was far more entertaining than sitting in a taxi. Because we had not been sure if the buses were running on a holiday we had left early to make sure we had time for a Plan B if it was needed. And so we had about five hours to wait in Saint Lucia airport. We kept ourselves entertained with writing postcards, reading, journaling and people watching.

And so after a one hour delay we were on our way, flying to New York ready for our next adventure.

Today was all about Christmas for Lorraine and me. We went to Castries and had a look around the local market. It is hard to see how anyone makes any money when they are all selling the same trinkets and local crafts and there are hundreds of stalls. Castries was pretty busy with people getting their last few bits before Christmas and we both thanked our lucky stars that we didn’t have to get involved in many queues. We took the local bus in to town and decided that it is the only way to travel on the island. I can’t believe that for the first week or so that we were here we took taxis everywhere. The local bus cost us $2.50 Eastern Caribbean which is the equivalent of about 65p to get into Castries. Not bad. And it is much more fun than getting a taxi.

After browsing the local market we set off in search of Christmas decorations for the Carols afloat in the harbour. We were to dress up ourselves and our dinghy and head out into the harbour with some other lunatics to get into the Christmas spirit. So we found tinsel, snow, bows, ribbons bells and best of all battery operated lights!!!

After lunch we bought some beautiful looking local fruits and vegetables at one of the stalls and again loaded into a local bus for the return journey. We got out at the supermarket to pick up some food for our Christmas dinner and some treats for tonight.

When we got back to the boat it was all systems go. We got the engine out to put it on the dinghy, we decorated the dinghy, we iced our cookies and dressed ourselves (including wearing the flashing lights) and we were all set except that we then suffered some problems which meant we couldn’t take the dinghy out. And so two little Irish elves with flashing Christmas lights headed to the end of the dock to try hitch a ride on someone else’s boat but to no avail. Such an anti climax. Here we were all dressed up and with nowhere to go!! We were reluctant to let this dampen our Christmas spirits and so we set off around the docks to spread some Christmas cheer. We had our box of cookies (that we may have let people believe we baked), some candy canes, flashing lights and our christmasy feeling. We walked around, met some new people and made a few childrens days.

When the carolers returned we were ready for the next installment of the party and we were happy to be joined by a few other groups of people who had dressed for the occasion. My favourites were the cowboy Santa and his elf helper! The new pizza place in the marina kept us fed and watered and we made some new friends. When things started to wind down we headed to the Jump UP in Gros Islet with the Australian Alistairs and our new Welsh friends. Gros Islet is the closest village to the marina and every Friday night they have a street party. There is food, drinks, and lots of music and dancing. We had been warned that we may get hassled by some of the locals and we took just a little bit of cash with us to avoid any trouble. The first people that we met on the way to the party was a group of about fifteen children who were out caroling with one of their teachers. Lorraine and Alistair were totally taken by these and were soon in the very middle of all the action. They stayed singing carols while the rest of us wandered on in search of the party and there it was in the middle of the street. They had huge speakers set up and everyone dancing in the street. It was a great night and we were just sorry that we hadn’t been to one of these before. We did attract some attention especially since we were still wearing our Christmas lights and it is not the kind of place that we would have gone with out the boys but it was great fun!

Pictures of the Christmas lights to follow

Russell, Sam, Emma, Tim, Bob and Loraine represent the One Hull team collecting their first prize from the St Lucian Minister for Tourism.

On Monday we took a day off and went exploring the island a bit more. We have been here for two weeks and as Lorraine put it “we could be tour guides for the marina but outside of that we haven’t seen much”. And so Monday was the day!!!

We rented a car and as I am the only one of us who can drive I was Designated Dessie. The rental company picked us up and took us to Castries airport to pick up “Sparky” who was parked outside the graveyard on the beach. Luckily we were only going for a day as Sparky was short on space. I had brought along my Ipod so that we could have some music but unfortunately we had no connection and so it was Caribbean music all day. Not so bad I thought but was soon to learn that the radio stations are pretty varied!

We set off through Castries where the cruise ships were docked and their passengers were exploring the sights of Castries. There is a street market in Castries every day and we thought about stopping but when we got lost once we decided that maybe we should try get some miles under our belt rather than wasting a day circling Castries. And so one fuel stop later we were on the way.

The first stop we made was at one of the many “viewing points” along the road. Some of these were empty, some were full of tourists from the cruise ships on a day trip to see the island and then some contained one or two local characters trying to entice us to buy a trinket or hold a snake. The first such guy was Melvin and he was manning a fruit stand overlooking Anse La Raye. he told us a little bit about the village which is a small fishing village on the West coast of the island. The bay was full of little fishing vessels and the village was dominated by a large church in the middle. We stayed and chatted with Melvin for a short time but we were keen to get back on the road and see some more.

Sam had been given the job of packing our lunch and as navigator in the passenger seat Lorraine kept us well fed with ham and cheese sandwiches. The roads on St Lucia are pretty good but they are very steep and twisty as they wind their way up and down, around and in between the hills. Sam was beginning to feel a little nervous as he saw the drop in one side of the car. I hope it wasn’t my driving that was making him nervous. As if negotiating the steep, twisty roads wasn’t enough to concentrate on we came around a bend and there in the road was a man holding a snake. After recovering from the initial shock we realised that he was trying to encourage us to stop at his bar and have a drink and he was using the snake to get people in. we drove a little faster!

As we passed through Canaries there was a bridge over the river. When we first saw it I was sure that we had taken a wrong turn but chief navigator Lorraine insisted that this was the road we needed to take. It didn’t look very secure and Sam’s advise to me was to “just go really fast”. It worked and while the bridge sounded like it might fall from under us of course it didn’t and we were once again on our way up the hill towards Soufriere.

Our first real stop was at the Botanical Gardens and Diamond Waterfall. The waterfall is said to have healing mineral properties and you can bathe in the water to enjoy it’s relaxing properties. What they don’t tell you is that the pools are tiny and on the side of the path where everyone else walks. We were glad we had opted just for the walk. The path takes you up to the base of the waterfall and as you make your way the native plants are all signed for your info. Quite cool to see but not alot of it was in bloom so a little bit disappointing. One the most remarkable things is that they show the damage that has been caused by hurricanes and how much they had to do to get the gardens back to the way they are now. http://diamondstlucia.com/ 

Soufriere brought it’s own adventures and one of the bridges was out so we had to follow a diversion. On coming to a junction in the road I was unsure whether to go left or right. There was a man on a bicycle who hit the front of the car and started to shout at us. I thought it was probably best to get out of there and so ensued a chase. As we took turn after turn every time I looked behind he was still there. Then we came to a dead end and I thought that this was the end of us. Luckily it was broad daylight and we were in the middle of the town square so I figured he could hardly do much damage. He approached our car and I realised that he didn’t look as angry as I had first thought and he wasn’t. He had simply been chasing us to ask us if we needed directions. I am not sure what I thought his intentions were. He was one man on a bicycle! He told us to follow him and he showed us back to the road that we needed. When he was saying goodbye I thought I heard him say “Are you doing anything special?” and so I answered “No we’re just out for a drive” to which he replied ” No, do you want some special smoke?”. Ahhhhhh the penny dropped and we assured him that no we were ok for special smoke.

We waved to the special smoke man and headed for the Pitons. Lorraine and I were delighted to hear a good song on the radio(they were few and far between!) and we turned Adele up only to get a Caribbean surprise. It was a reggae version of Someone Like You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnmUQL-oU1I

Our next stop was the Drive Through Volcano. I had an image of us in our little car driving into the middle of a huge volcano and taking pictures inside it. It was rather disappointing to discover that the drive in volcano is actually just some sulphur springs and that the volcano is all around you but actually collapsed now. Our tour guide was lovely and pointed us in the direction of a nice beach for snorkelling.

So we headed to Jalousie Plantation Resort (http://www.jalousieplantation.com/) where we began the relaxing part of our day off. We lay on the beach, Lorraine went for a snorkel and Sam and I took out a hobie cat for a little bit of sailing. The wind did not cooperate and we ended up very frustrated but it was fun nonetheless. The instructions that we were given were priceless: “Don’t leave the bay and don’t hit the barge” The barge is a huge metal barge that is in the bay while they do some construction. We would have had to be blind to hit it.

We stayed at Jalousie for the afternoon but we all had our next stop on our minds and as our stomachs started to rumble we packed up and headed to Hotel Chocolat (http://thehotelchocolat.com/ ). On arrival we were told that we were too late for lunch and too early for dinner so we decided to have a drink. Lorraine was taken with the champagne and freshly crushed mango in her Blini while Sam and I enjoyed delicious virgin Chocolate Banana Daquiris. These were fabulous and as we sat there and watched the sun set over the Pitons we made our minds up to stay for dinner. Everything on the menu has chocolate in it, Lorraine’s salad had a white chocolate dressing, my chicken liver parfait had a chocolate strip through it and the main courses came with white chocolate mashed potatoes!!! It was delicious and we left very happy that we had decided to stay and treat ourselves. Just after our starters the electricity went and so we enjoyed the rest of the meal by lantern. There were about three other tables of people, the stars, the piton, good food, good company and lantern light. A perfect little Christmas gift to ourselves.

The only thing that took away from my enjoyment of dinner (and it was only a little bit, it is hard to distract me from chocolate) was thinking about driving home. The roads were steep and twisty during the day and now I would have to negotiate them in night hours. But with Lorraine in the passenger seat keeping me company and country & western Christmas songs on the radio the journey home felt very short. We were all exhausted when we got back to the boat and fell into our bunks for a relatively early nightt