Last port of call was pretend Haiti. It is a part of the island operated by Royal Carribean and kept nice by them. It is like paradise. RC pays the Haitian government something like $6. per person. There were over 3000 on our ship alone. I wonder where all that money goes? Anyway…we wanted to stay there because it was so relaxing. We had a barbeque on land and the water was clear, warm and gentle.

 

There was a police presence on the island.

Many Hatians are employed in Labadee. Some are craftsmen. This man was working in metal.

 

This one was painting.

There were loads of beautiful paintings and other crafts to bargain for.

Some of the workers arrive in colorful little boats like these.

Here is our boat…looks far away….

Relax in a hammock or a beach chair.

I had my own palm tree

Look at that clear water!

Too soon it was time to return the the ship for a two day voyage home.

 

 

 

Life gets so busy sometimes! Back to reporting on the vacation. Next stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We spent the morning exploring Old City on foot. It was really hot. First we walked outside the city wall. There are a load of photos…..

Here is the San Juan harbour and part of the wall.

A watchtower in the wall which dates from the early 1500′s.

There were a zillion cats around the old city. Apparently they are protected and people feed them.

Nice porch… like the color too…

Look at this tree!!

This is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista where Ponce de Leon is buried. (he of the exploration to find the fabled Fountain of Youth)

A hotel with a funny name..

Cultural Center

The road to the fort… the oldest building in Puerto Rico

The gateway …

View from the gate back towards the city… there is an old cemetary near the sea

One of the towers in the fort…

 

From inside the tower

This lighthouse has been rebuilt several times..

Another tower

The Chapel

This window is looking out towards a small island which used to be a leper colony

Walking around town… we always check out grocery stores for things to bring back…got some coffee

Very like street signs in Spain

The is the White Mansion… former home of Ponce de Leon and family

In one shop we met the sweetest little dog … he played sock with Greg

Greg wanted a photo of the Stop sign

Christopher Colombus

We ended up here to escape the heat and buy a mug

On the way back to the ship we saw these….

The Explorer….

Leaving San Juan

Back on the ship… they change these every day in all the elevators… helps to be reminded what day it is

And this was our room decoration that evening… not sure if it was a snake or a swan but it was cool and the room attendant put Greg’s sunglasses on it

Last stop….Labadee, Haiti