1019. Last blog about the beautiful Southern Caribbean! Misc. photos ---

In this last entry about my Southern Caribbean cruise, I will show more pictures, and make a few comments.  I LOVED IT !

A few homes of many colors!

Below is a lady at the Chocolate factory on Granada Island, and she was telling us how chocolate is made.  It first is in a large pod, probably 6 to 8 inches long, and when you crack it open, it has little white parts that taste a bit sweet.  I can't remember many details, but that part is dried, and then cooked, and then it goes dark brown.  I bought 1 chocolate bar, 60% pure chocolate!

                       A group going into the ancient chocolate factory.

On that same tour, we also went to a nutmeg factory.  The nutmeg is ground from what is inside the nuts.  The man below was our guide.  He explained the process of getting the inside of the nut to market, etc.  He told us that any of the ladies working would be glad for us to take their picture.

This lady below was sorting the type of "nut" that nutmeg comes from. 

So I took this lady's picture there.  After we had gone a few steps, one of our group told me she had been highly offended that I hadn't asked her permission to take her picture.  So I went back, and gave her a dollar bill, and told her I was sorry -- that I didn't know I should ask her permission, and she smiled.  We took a lot of $1 bills, and gave them out to bus drivers, and others.

More scenes in the nutmeg factory.  They were paid according to how many of those 100 pound bags they processed.  Sometimes they made $2 an hour!

There were many places on several islands that people had small tables set up, on which they had items to sell.

 On Barbados, a local artist had painted these huge paintings on a warehouse near where the ship docked --  They were about 8 by 10 feet or so.  

When we docked in San Juan Puerto Rico the day before we flew home, we went to a local Olive Garden Restaurant to eat.  On the way we saw this Iguana, running wild.  It was between 24 and 30 inches long!  We also saw a bird with a broken wing, and one lady gave it lots of small pieces of bread.

Each evening, while we were at dinner, our cleaning lady straightened up our beds, and put out little figures made from towels.  After a couple of days, I realized I should be taking pictures of them!

The islands we visited were east of Puerto Rico, and in a line going south.  So our last day we stayed on ship while the ship went back in a straight line, northwest.  On that day on board, most of us went on what was called a "Galley trip", to see how they prepare food for so many on the ship.  Then we were treated to a gourmet meal.  (Of course we had to pay for this, as we did all shore excursions!)

I have literally hundreds of other pictures, but this will suffice!  It was just so interesting.  I loved getting acquainted with the 11 other widows on board, and also many of those in the same larger group from Fun For Less Tours.  Many fascinating people, including the dear lady who wanted to read us her poetry!  She has been to all 7 wonders of the world, loves to travel, and writes a poem about the places she has been to. 

I need to end with this picture of Belva, Renee' and me.  We were the "old ladies" of the group!  Renee', there with her daughter, was always taking pictures with her digital camera, and got everyone's address and contact information!  This picture was taken for us, in the hotel the last morning, by a man who was repairing the elevator close by!  I was with such lovely people!

And when we got off the airplane, and could now do facebook etc., this was the "wild widows"!  Talk about teens being addicted to social media!

 LIFE IS SO INTERESTING, ISN'T IT?  I LOVE IT!  It gives real meaning to the truth that our Heavenly Father loves ALL His Children -- wherever they are!