It was a nice cruise…..especially since we were leaving 2 days after the accident off the coast of Italy.  Sure got us thinking about how to exit, in case of emergency.  Always look around, planes and ships….serious business

But this is not about that…you know.  This is about what it says in the ads and what life is really like, on some of our stopovers.  We enjoy the opportunity to meet people, and enjoy new places.  We are very lucky to have seen a lot of the United States and know, without a doubt, it is the best place ever.

Having said that….our 5 stops offered us a little of what the Caribbean is like.  Its beauty, its people, its history, its colorful buildings, etc.  I cannot deny there is  all of the above….but very little of the magic one dreams about.

There is no running water on some islands…no running water!!  The only water one gets, comes from rain, caught in a container!  Sounds romantic unless you have 4 kids, and 2 dogs and 10 plus loads of wash a week.  Does not work well in a place with no running water.

There is no sewage disposal on some islands….mmmmm  need I say more.

YOu  may not wear any type of camo clothing on a certain island…..don’t want to mistake you for either a bad guy,or the real police.

Unfinished houses are passed down from parents to children.  If the current family makes any overage during the year, they add a cement block or two and put in more rebar. It continues to be built slowly,  not in months but years/generations.

Most make their money off tourism…..tourism that lasts from November to April.  They sell all the same things one can find in any tourist town…t-shirts, pens, cards, dolls, towels, etc.

Most island businesses who are successful in the tourism portion of town, sell alcohol, diamonds, tanzanite, and perfume.   “Big deals”, they say are offered……doubt it very much.  Bailey’s sells for the same there as it does here. Most brand name hard stuff, sells for about the same too.

Don’t want to rain on your parade…..just offering some insight as to how 3rd world some of these island are.  Their land is beautiful, their lifestyle is not to be envied. (At least that is my opinion)

And lastly, I sometimes felt like the ‘queen’ coming off a magnificent cruise ship….Would they trade places with me……in a moment.  I was embarrassed. I hear of so many  US tourists ‘showing off’ on their journeys to other lands.   I wanted to be sure I was not one of them.

I am one lucky SOB…..I know it!  I think most of you are too.  Just keep some of these things in mind when you travel.  Be gracious, be understanding, be careful, and be thankful!        later