1018. My Southern Caribbean Cruise, Part 2., March 31, to April 9, 2018
My Southern Caribbean Cruise, part 2:
Barbados claims the dubious distinction of creating Rum! The pirates loved it!
The words on the sign are:
This new world liquor popularized under the name of rum originated in Barbados. The substance distilled from the molasses, a by product of sugar cane was originally known as kill devil.
How the name came to be rum is shrouded in mystery. But many believe it starts with the aged liquor stored in a barrel being sold in a tavern owned by Captain Rumball. This unique liquor sought after by patrons took it s name from the owner and was called Rum.
I had seen Barbados on my family pedigree charts, and last night I found it again. I had an ancestor, Alexander Skeen, born about 1690 in Scotland, who went to Barbados, married a lady there, Jemima Dewe, and his first 2 children were born there, and christened in the St. James Church, on Barbados. (One in 1700, and the other a few years later.) They then went to Colonial America, and settled in South Carolina. That birth is listed in ancient church records on the island which have been indexed!
A Pirate of the Caribbean!
The same day we had a bus tour of Barbados, out in the bay we had a ride down under water about 140 feet, on a submarine! We saw fish, coral, and also a ship which had sunk -- below. We saw many schools of fish, bright blue, etc., but pictures of them didn't turn out good. There wasn't enough light down there to take good pictures.
I really enjoyed several things on the ship also. They had an extensive art gallery, with many varieties of paintings for sale. I went to a small, and also a larger art auction, which were fascinating. One artist they really pushed, and someone bought several pieces, from $20,000 to $30,000 each was Peter Max.
His paintings were not my favorites but the following tells a bit about him:
Born in Berlin, Germany in 1937, Peter Max was raised in Shanghai, China, where he spent the first ten years of his life. He lived in a pagoda-style house situated near a Buddhist monastery, a Sikh temple, and a Viennese cafe. With all that richness and diversity of culture, he still had a dream of an adventure yet to come in a far-off land called America. From American comic books, radio broadcasts, and cinema shows, young Peter formed an impression of the land of Captain Marvel, Flash Gordon, swing jazz, swashbucklers, freedom, and creativity. In 1953, Peter's family emigrated to America after a six-month visit to Paris. During this relatively short stay, Peter enrolled in an art school and began to absorb the culture and artistic heritage of Paris. At the age of sixteen, he realized his childhood fantasy and arrived in America.
There were some on board who bought several very expensive paintings -- collectors probably. I ordered an inexpensive print from a painter with the last name of "Miles", my maiden name, which will be sent to me. When it comes I'll write about it.
On one island there was a rooster, guarding his hen and several baby chicks, in the middle of town!
There were nice homes next to some like the above, which had seen better days! Many had a sort of look that they had mold on them. The islands were very humid, and that probably was mold.
There were many nicer homes, showing affluence. See the washing hung up under it on the left. Humble homes were next to elegant ones in many places.
This photo, and many others were taken through the window as we sped along in a bus. Many homes had washing hung out to dry, and probably they don't have clothes dryers there much. Many homes were built like this, on stilts, as there were so many mountains, and homes were built up and down, everywhere.
Another home that has seen better days.
Another humble home on stilts.
A nice couple that let me take their picture.
The gazebo above was in a nature preserve, and these old ruins were also there. It had been a dance hall, etc., and burned down many years ago. Trees were now growing in what had been the interior.
A place to "hang out" in the town!
One lecture Michael Wilcox gave was based on the Ernest Hemmingway book "The Old Man And The Sea", which was based in the Caribbean. He has a degree in English Literature, and literally make the book come alive. He gave many beautiful ideas that the book captured, -- of having many problems, and then overcoming them, only to have the "sharks" come! He talked about the old man being cheerful, having courage to go where it was unfamiliar. He said the big fish he was trying to catch represented the challenges in life. It teaches us to rely on ourselves, and raise ourselves to whatever the foe demands -- how to live life and not be defeated, etc. Perhaps I can go into it in more detail in a future blog. He told about how the old man finally caught the huge fish, triumphant in his goal, and then "the sharks came", and ate it so that only the skeleton was left. He said that life is not fair, but when we expect it to be fair is when we get discouraged. He talked about having hope, and taking whatever comes. Very great wisdom, and I enjoyed it so much.
The last talk he gave was on the real pirates of the Caribbean, and their true heyday was from 1715 to 1725. He told the history of about 200 years before that time in which many problems between nations, and ships stealing the bounty from other ships began the pirate problem, first called "privateering".
Some of the wonderful ladies who went on the cruise also -- widows!
We also toured the island of Grenada, and some of these pictures are from there. I am not sure which, as I took over 1000 pictures!
Lastly, we came back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had a bus ride tour of the old city there. Our guide, a darling native lady, loved to say "Guess what!" She would want to tell us something interesting, and said "Guess what!" -- sometimes 2 or 3 times in a minute! It was fun, and she had lots of energy.
Our "Guess what!" lady!
I didn't tell about the tour on the ship of the galley, where they fix all the food for so many people, and also the nightly musical programs -- great talent! Also the great musical talent performing in the Centrum, pictures of the inside of the ship, etc. But this is enough for today. Perhaps more later!
I didn't tell about the lovely and interesting people I met, and grew to love. There was just too much to write about! I guess I will do one more blog, showing quite a few more pictures --
I'll write more about Egypt, Jordan, and Israel in over 3 weeks! Until then, I hope you will enjoy looking over some past blogs, -- check out the subjects under "Labels".
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