Angela Cave

Travelling is never time wasted

Sunny tales from MS Braemar in the Caribbean

I can think of few things more pleasurable than sailing along on a sunny Caribbean afternoon aboard my favourite ship MS Braemar, heading towards Cuba. This follows a couple of lazy days at sea catching up with the new things onboard, love the coffee bar, already a morning favourite and enjoying that which we always enjoy, a delightful small ship, with all of the amenities one needs and none of the superfluous ones
After the normal long flight, patience and tolerance to the fore, we were amply rewarded by the aeroplane doors opening to reveal a bright and welcoming Bajun sun.
Day one was spent aboard the totally delightful Friendship Rose, a beautiful sailing boat with a long history, restored and ready to sail along the coast of St Vincent, stopping off for a snorkel and a spot of beach, the bluest of skies and some local delicacies, bananas,sweet and delicious,nothing like the blotting paper variety we are treated to at home, fresh coconut water, ginger biscuits and, of course,rum punch,post swimming to ensure that any fish we saw were seen singly and not in pairs!
Will report from Cuba where the weather is looking good and the prospect of a tour in one of the iconic cars beckons!

Sailing in the Caribbean

Sailing from MS Braemar
Aboard the Friendship Rose

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Flowers of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, continues

Continuing our travels, our two days at the Jetwing Sea Negumbo were an ideal and relaxing start, dinner on the beach and some great seafood is, in my world, guaranteed to be a good start and so it proved!  Onwards, with our great driver Prema, provided by Kuoni – gosh these drivers are good!  Being confronted, at about 45mph, with a very slow van obviously driven by people with a death wish turning straight across your path might make a lesser person squeak, just a bit – not so our driver, braking just the right amount and carrying on with aplomb – great job!

Here we are up in the hills at Cinnamon Lodge Habaranna. green and lush.  Love the Christmas decorations, reindeer and snowmen in the tropics, fab!  Spent a happy morning having a bullock cart ride, then a canoe to a smallholding to meet some a local family who were incredibly hospitable, interesting to see the fruit and veg. being grown and to drink home made herbal tea whilst nibbling on a lump of jaggery, sweet, sweet and basic form of sugar – perfect with the tea!

Palm squirrels a great amusement in the hotel, they whisk fearlessly about searching for the slightest opportunity to acquire food – loved this mornings effort – onto the table, stick of sugar out of the pot and down onto the poolside to nibble his treasure – and show off in front of his mates!

More travels tomorrow, happy to relax and explore the hotel grounds for now – amazing wildlife, birds and butterflies – yesterdays up close and personal encounter with a boa constrictor called Pinkie was close enough to the local snake population for me tho!

Day 1Colombo Sri Lanka

Well, jet lag aside we have been exploring Colombo with a great guide S K Nuwanpriya who shared his capital with us. Lots of very fine colonial buildings obviously very well cared for and the city is charming.  The driving shares a lot with India and nerves of steel are required, phantom braking with ones own foot must not be uncommon but the police seem to be very active and the toll road was fast and clear – loved the road sign of things not allowed on the fast roads, including bullock carts and chaps pushing handcarts – seems sensible to me, wouldn’t want to come across a speeding bullock! A Buddha temple was a delight, we wandered around enjoying the peace and the sense of calm and were mildly surprised to see a couple of fabulous vintage cars parked in the front of the temple – gifts to the temple.  On to Cargills – once a very prestigious department store and vendor of all things necessary and lots of  unnecessary luxuries too I suppose.  A great sense of good times past – as sort of Are You Being Served, with cobwebs and dust but non the less a great place – don’t miss it if you come.

Negumbo sunset

Negumbo sunset

 

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