Get the Flash Player to watch this video. MP4 I didn’t need my alarm this morning. About 2:30 I realized that I had forgotten to enter my time at work to cover my vacation period. I woke up and got on the computer using my thumbdrive encryption key to access my government account. Of course […]

Perhaps you recall that we had decided to pare down our packing list for this cruise. The eight day cruise was our longest yet, plus we arrived in San Juan a day early. We took half our regular luggage. This allowed us to carry on everything outbound.  (Coming back we did check our bags.) I […]

Click for Album Magic carpet ride, indeed.  Fall asleep in one awesome port and wake up in another.  All your food appears on your table, beautifully presented, and flavorful.  Done eating?  Your dirty dishes fly away.  Bored?  Who cued the band that just started playing?  Too much fun?  Drop in the spa and let their […]

Click for Album This was our only cruise line arranged excursion. El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. Until 2006 it was the only habitat of the Puerto Rican Amazon, Puerto Rico’s green parrot. It is estimated that there are only about 40 of this endangered species living […]

Click for Album I had some video of the little sand crab you will see if you click through to our album. Unfortunately, it was completely out of focus. He was very cute as he dug his hole throwing sand out behind him. At least I did get a nice snapshot of the little critter. […]

When all was said and done, St. Martin was one of those places where we thought we could spend an entire vacation. Its European flavor, spiced with Caribbean seasoning, with a side of one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen, makes for a pretty dishy vacation spot. Video of the beach after the […]

We didn’t spend much time in Charlotte-Amelie, where the Serenade of the Seas docked. Instead, we immediately took a cab to Coki Beach on the other side of the island. By clicking on the picture (or here), you can see the high resolution full slide show of the pictures we took on this beautiful island. […]

What is your favorite type of neighborhood? For me, it often depends on my mood. Some days I want a home by the sea. Other days, I would prefer a quiet tree lined street. I often want to be near an urban center. (I like the amenities and useful mass transportation.) Old San Juan offers […]

There can be little doubt that one reason we went for Jallim’s art was because of the gallery’s saleswoman. Melinda explained the intimate tie between his carving and St. Lucia culture. Already taken with the island, we were pleased to find a work of art that would do more than remind us of pretty scenery, […]

Click for Album A great thing about taking a cruise line excursion on the last day is that you get off the ship first.  We set our luggage out before 11 pm the night before.  We rose early to eat breakfast at the Windjammer for the last time and watched San Juan turn from city […]