Roseau, Dominica

Dominica is a beautiful island.

The day we were there it was cloudy and it rained on and off, but there was beauty even in the rain. During our time on shore we walked to the botanical garden. The garden does not compare to ones like Ber-mu-da's, but is still beau-tiful. Although it was a bit raggedy, it still had a very lush feel to it and was very green. For me there were two disappointments. The first is that the trees were not labeled, so I could not identify the unfamiliar ones. The other is that the endangered parrots were in their breeding season, so the public was not allowed to view them. The parrots were the main reason we chose to visit this garden.

The school bus crushed under the tree was an intesting sight. It happened during a hurricane; fortunately that there were no children on board the bus at the time.

I also found it interesting the way plants grow on other plants in the tropics, even ones that don't seem to be epiphytic. The photo of the palm tree trunk shows two different varieties of fern growing on it, along with a tree that is not familiar to me. That tree really is growing in the space between the bases of the fronds.

We saw another tree, which I did not get a photo of, that had spherical green & brown fruits about the size of a golf ball. When we broke it open the inside resembled the pictures I've seen of the mangosteen fruit.

The garden also had several areas with brilliant flowers that were very pretty. It was far more casual than any other botanical garden I have seen.

We did see some interesting birds that I was not able to identify. One looked very much like a dark hummingbird, but it had a crest. Another was the size of a large chickadee with a yellow breast and alternating red & white pinstripes on its head.

Walking through town to get to the botanical garden was a little scary - between the sidewalks that were uneven or lacking, and the narrow streets with cars that were moving too fast for our comfort. The up side to walking was the exercise and the fact that we did not end up in any traffic jams. We reached our destination sooner than those in taxis. The garden was within easy walking distance of the ship, probably less than a mile, and it was very easy to find.

If I were to go back to Dominica I would plan to take one of the shore excursions offered. A friend took one that included a jeep ride & swimming at the Ti Tou Gorge; he said was very good. Another one that sounded interesting included the Emerald Pool with a scenic drive. I would probably choose the first one.

Musings

Switching over to the new blog format was an interesting experience. I'm sure that when I set up the blog that my display name was "Susan". However, when everything was switched, my display name showed as Jesusan. That is really weird because it is actually a name I answer to (pronounced "hey susan"). But how would anybody know that? Very, very strange......

Back to the subject of travel: I think one reason travel now has such great appeal is that it opens up whole new worlds to me. That is the same reason I chose to major in biology in college. For starters, having someone to make my bed & clean my room is a treat. On this last cruise our room steward created a different animal out of towels every night. His creativity gave us a delightful surprise to come home to each time. Thank you to Agung, from Jakarta, Indonesia, for taking such good care of us.

I also like dining in a formal setting. The menus are varied and invite us to try all sorts of new things. My favorite from this last cruise was the chilled fruit soups, which were heavenly in flavor. Our dining room steward, Rinto, always had a big smile for us, always approved our menu choices, & challenged us on one occasion with a couple of cork tricks. His assistant, Ridwan, always made sure we had our extra plate of vegetables. Dressing for dinner is always fun, because it's something I rarely if ever get to do at home. My friend and I have chosen to dress nicely every night, no matter what the dress code is for the evening. We always get compliments on how we are dressed. If you think the crew does not notice things like that, you are mistaken. On the Maasdam they have doormen who hand out goodies after dinner. Both Ade & Eka were a delight; they also provided wonderful service in the casual dining for breakfast and lunch. I am still amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone is, what wonderful attitudes they show, despite working such long hours each day, and so many months with no real time off.

I always try to get to know as many of the crew members as possible. Meeting people from other countries makes the world so much smaller, yet it also opens up new worlds to me. On Holland America's Maasdam, the crew I met were mostly from Indonesia & the Philippines. On Celebrity's Zenith, the crew hailed from approximately 60 different countries. As I've spent time talking to these people I have gained an appreciation for them and their cultures.

Another way I discover new worlds is in meeting passengers. On this last cruise I met a number of people who will remain friends. You never know when you meet people what you will discover you have in common. One couple in particular is notable: the husband & I have a friend in common, & I had actually met the wife at least a year and a half earlier in my workplace. She knew I looked familiar & the workplace encounter was the reason. Not only that, they live just a couple of miles from me.

The major way of opening worlds in the eyes of most is the destinations. This last cruise we did not sign up for any shore excursions, preferring instead to just walk around & explore on our own. That can be pleasant, but it is limited. In the future I would consider doing more tours, so I could get a better idea of what each destination is about. Unfortunately money is an issue, so I would have to choose my shore excursions very carefully. While I appreciate the beauty of the places I've visited, I think I get more from meeting & getting to know the people I encounter.

Another reason travel appeals to me so is that it allows me to leave all my cares and worries behind. Call it a vacation in unreality if you will. But I'll continue with cruises as long as I'm able. Cruises allow me to explore a different side of me, since the people around me do not have pre-set expectations of me. I am grateful that my traveling companion & I both are able to allow each other to explore our different facets that way. The freedom has allowed me to keep a smile on my face and on my attitude.

I've spent a significant amount of time observing people on cruises, and I see that there are many who bring all their emotional baggage with them. They will fight to the death for a silly prize in a trivia contest. They will glare at people who are walking for exercise as they consume the huge bowl of ice cream balanced on their fat mound of a belly. Such people envy us for what we look like, but don't have any thought of changing their lifestyle. From watching people's food choices, it appears that most people who get on a cruise ship are bent on "getting their money's worth" out of the food provided, without giving thought to the consequences. Most everyone goes for some special treats on a cruise, but many seem to go to an extreme. Another kind of baggage I've seen is women who carry huge purses on a ship. I can't imagine why they would need them. Maybe they feel undressed without them, the way some women feel undressed without makeup. Isn't life unencumbered more fun? I could probably go on for hours about things like this, so I'll quit before I get too bogged down in it.

In The Beginning

Once upon a time there was a young woman who was very uncomfortable with travel. If she went anywhere, it would literally take her five years to find the wherewithal to travel again. Fortunately those days are gone, as is the travel shyness. Today she would rather travel than stay at home. In the beginning she was an extreme non-traveler; today she is at the opposite pole.

I now travel with a girlfriend who enables me to be adventurous. Earlier travel was with people who were not great choices, but they were the best available to me. And frankly, I was probably not a good choice for them, either. Fortunately I have changed greatly over the years since my first travel adventure in 1967, the obligatory trip to Europe. Now I can both choose my traveling companions well and be a good one.

The travel bug bit me after I went to Israel in 2005. I guess it woke me up to the possibilities of travel. The cruise that followed approximately 3 moths later sealed my fate. As long a it is possible, I would like to spend my time traveling. It is still important to me to have a home life, so as to maintain the hard-won connections with friends. But now I believe it is equally important to be free to travel rather than be tied down by a home that needs a lot of maintenance. I like the idea of having roots without having to stay in one place forever.

For me, the best form of travel is via cruise ship. When the cruise is long enough it is possible to develop friendships with the people you meet on board, both crew and passengers. I especially like nights at sea, because the rocking of the ship combined with the vibration of the engines enables me to sleep well. I like all the opportunities to dress up, as well as the vast range of different places one can visit. Much as I loved the trip to Israel, I find it much easier to enjoy travel when I'm not living out of a suitcase. Beyond that, the level of pampering one gets on a good cruise is unmatched anywhere else.

In ths space I plan mostly to share my travel experiences. As I recently acquired a nice digital camera, I will be able to share pictures, also. The photo above is of the ms Maasdam, of Holland America Line, in the harbor of Barbados, the vessel that carried me on my latest adventure. I will share more about that in the coming days.