Homeward Bound

How can it be that 3 weeks have gone past? We are on our way to Ft Lauderdale from Santo Domingo Island or as it is now known Dominican Republic. We received many warnings of the dangers of this island. So we wondered why we came here to begin with? History is the answer. Christopher Columbus is almost revered here and they have his bones and are willing to go up against Italy with a DNA test to prove it. Aside from that it is a lovely island

The passenger port area is quite small so we had to wait for a ship to leave before we could dock but it was worth it so we did not have to tender or walk a high gangway.

Our tour today was to a cavern. The bus drove around the city to show us some of the homes and to their credit we saw the good, the bad and the ugly. 95% of the citizens are Catholic so they made sure we saw their pride and joy church. The market area was a really bad and ugly. I don’t think I want to buy food there!

We did not expect much of a cavern on an island but the limestone here was perfect for cavern formations. Unfortunately we were not permitted to take photos. There were many ancient cave drawings with some graffiti that was added before the country’s government took control and made the caves into a national treasure and National Treasure it is. The gardens going to the entrance must be glorious in the summer because they are very pretty now.

Something that we spoke of today is the newness of the independence of all these islands. Of the 9 ports 2 have no independence they are Territories; St Croix of the USA and St Barts of France. Three, Manaus and Santarem Of Brazil and the Dominican Republic have been independent since the 19th century. But, 4 have gained their independence within our lifetime. Trinidad in 1962 from UK, Barbados in 1966 from UK, Dominica 1978 and St Kitts in 1983. Independence seems such a natural thing for us and yet these people are really just experiencing it in the last 40 or so years. I find that remarkable!

Ok, now in 21 days we have sailed 7157 miles: a trip equal to going across the USA and returning. We have walked on the soil of 9 countries counting Nassau, where we started, and talked to numerous people who have all been very proud of their nation. We have seen innumerable skin colors and watched families who are only different from American families because of their location and language. We have watched people walk past the policeman on the corner who is carrying a very large weapon and people who have police totally unarmed. We have seen many more homes than we would like that have to keep bars on their windows. Our brains are full of new facts and our hearts are full of the love of the human race that can smile in spite of their living conditions. We have seen all the wonderful ways we humans worship and sort of experienced how their faith keeps them strong. We have made new friends onboard ship and a few who we may keep in touch with but many who will pass from our lives, when we reach Ft Lauderdale, but will not soon be forgotten.

And so as our trip comes to it’s end and so too does this blog. Tomorrow we must pack and prepare for entering the USA so I doubt there will more entries.
Thanks for coming along on our journey. We hope you enjoyed reading about our Amazon Adventure.
Sincerely,
Barbara & Jack