Homeward bound.

Well our wonderful holiday is now over and we are homeward bound. The screen says we have 50 minutes flight time. I love being away but I do love going home too 😀.  Looking forward to seeing the children and especially our gorgeous granddaughter 👶. 

Yesterday we had a trip around the island in an air conditioned SUV which was god fun. The trip includes Betty's Hope, Devil's Bridge, The Donkey Sanctury, 

Shirley's Heights, a drive through the rain forest with the day finishing off at Turner's Bay where we had a lovely lunch and a paddle in the sea.  Throughtout the day we were of course served rum punch and given a history and nature lesson.  I, of course, took loads of photos of which I hope to have some good ones 😀🌴.

This morning we were awake early and went for our final swim in the sea around 7am. The water was warm, the sun up and the day was already hot. We had to check out by 12 and our transport was booked for 13.30. We weren't looking forward to the hot hour and a half wait and then the rush to the airport and queues 😁. We had booked private transport so arranged to get taken to the airport once we'd checked out at 12.00.  We got to the airport with no crowds and air conditioning. The airport has recently been revamped which is lovely but it is limited as to what is open at present. The time soon passed and we was on the plane heading home 😄.

Antigua part 3

Well since writing last Dave and I have joined the Antiguan fashion of having a few bites and our legs look like dot to dot. Our arms haven't been unaffected although not as bad as our legs. I dread to think how bad they would have been without insect repellent 😬.

Yesterday we had a lazy day. We were supposed to go scuba diving but unfortunately the guide was sick. We did manage a little snorkel off the beach although there is not much to see here as  it is all sand.  

Food and drink has been never ending it feels. I think my liver has had a bit of a culture shock with the rum punches and tequila sunrises!!  It hasn't been all lazy as we played water volleyball yesterday and Tuesday which was good fun. Tuesday night my arms were feeling it! Dave learned a harsh lesson when we played on Tuesday; he is always very careful in the sun, covers up and goes indoors however Tuesday he jumped in the pool to play volleyball forgetting to apply sun cream!!! He is tender to say the least, I burnt with a factor 30 so he really did suffer - he's worn a long sleeved rash best since!

Tuesday evening I had my first try of Lobster and loved it.........expensive taste 😁.  We were in a restaurant on the beach. It was lovely listening to the sea as we were eating.

Last night we strolled on the beach and took some sunset photos. I'm looking forward to seeing those on the computer

Today we went out on a boat - Antigua Adventures, on an Eco tour.  Dave and I were the only people until we reached St John's Harbour where a huge cruise ship was moored, the Royal Princess, it was massive.  An American couple who joined us were on it and said it was amazing.

During our Eco-tour we stopped in the bay of Long Island which is pretty exclusive.  A few famous people have property there apparently. If you want to stay in a little hut there you are looking at $8000 per night......of course Dave and I have booked on 😂😂😂.  

We also went to see the mangroves which are an important part of the Eco-system, here we spotted an eagle ray, there were some other rays in the water which we spotted while sailing.

We swam, we climbed Hells Gate which is a large rock where the Carribean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. That was pretty amazing. We then went to an island which is home to the only snakes in Antugua called Bird Island. We didn't see the snakes but saw a few lizards which the snakes feed on, a few with short tails which is due to the snakes taking them off!!  We saw the local birds Frigates which are huge sea birds and we saw birds that nest here but have their habitat is in Bermuda. We had lunch here then off to do some snorkelling. On return to the boat we were greated with rum punch then headed back.  

Tonight dinner was a BBQ accompanied by a steel band which was great to listen to.

Now we're off to bed as we have a land tour booked tomorrow 😄

 

Antigua part 2

A couple of years ago when I went to Venice I was training for the London Marathon. In order to get my runs in before it got crowded I would get up early and run. Not only did I get my training in but I saw the place in a totally different way, there were no tourists and I was able to see parts of the city that you wouldn't usually go to. This was something I loved. It got me thinking that I should do that more often, if people tell be they are going to Venice I always say make sure you have at least one day getting up early and looking around before the tourists get up or arrive.  I decided I would do the same today. 

As I hadn't been able to sleep and Dave was awake I thought it would be nice to have an early morning beach stroll. I was right, it was lovely 😄. The beach was empty, it wasn't too hot although the sun was shining and I was able to take some photos. The sea is so blue it looks like a swimming pool. We walked a fair way and then turned around to go back. By then it was getting warmer and the intensity of the sun had risen. Dave searched out the shade while I strolled along having the odd paddle. We returned to the hotel in time for an early breakfast which we thought was deserved after our walk.

After breakfast we headed down the beech again to see if we could book done diving. There are two dive shops here however for one reason or another they are running on limited staff so getting a dive in was not certain. All being well we shall be diving on Wednesday.

The rest of the day was really a swim in the sea and pool and of course sun bathing,  Even I had to give in as the sun was so hot. The room has air conditioning so to the room we went. I knew I was tired, two hours later I woke up next to Dave snoring :-). 

Such a beautiful place doesn't come without it's bugs that like to bite. We have been using high strength deet insect repellent but you can feel and smell the toxins.  You can't help but breath it in when you put it on. In addition to this we spray the room to reduce the pests. It is effective but not sure it's good  for the lungs. We decided to reduce the use a bit so popped up the road to get some citronella oil. Apparently the local bugs aren't that keen on it so tonight we tried that mixed in to some moisturiser. So far I think I've been ok but Dave has had to deet spray as he was getting bitten!! It seems to be the trend here to have bites on the bottom of your legs, not a trend we want to follow 😄.

Our walk to dinner 😄.

Antigua

We booked Antigua two weeks ago which is very unusual for us.  Usually we have planned our holidays and have them booked well in advance but this time was a bit different.  Initially the plan was to go to Malta but I wasn't finding the deal I was hoping for. Dave decided he'd check out the 'deals' at a travel agents.  To cut a long story short, partly due to Dave being a salesmans dream and partly due to excitement, Dave had booked for us to go to Antigua. Of course the excitement really set in then.

We had booked a hotel at Gatwick so we could travel up the night before.  Seems this was a good idea as the roads were apparently busy due to accidents on Friday morning. 

We had spoilt ourselves and booked into the Virgin Clubhouse so our wait in the airport was so much nicer. I have to say if you are able to do it, it is well worth the experience. Space, no queuing, waitress service, complimentary spa treatment and clean loos. Also no worries about checking your flight as that is done for you. Food and drink are also part of the package. I don't think I've e ever had cocktails at 8am before!!

When it comes to flying, I get excited about the holiday but very apprehensive about the flying so being told the plane was delayed due to a technical problem was a bit worrying.  Unfortunately the flight in the end was cancelled. Frustrating but I would rather a delay then being up in the air with a problem!

The next step was pretty chaotic while we were being informed what was happening, then being led through the airport, customs and baggage reclaim. Eventually we end up in a big queue waiting to be allocated a hotel room. Not quite as easy as it sounds especially as one couple seem to think they are so much better than everyone else and hold the queue up for ages demanding a better Hotel as they were booked into a 5 star in Anthua (we were going to the Hilton and this wasn't good enough for them 😬😬😬). They were so arrogant that I'm not even sure they were making an already unhappy group of people much more unhappy 😤.  Although organisation could have been a bit better, the staff kept smiling and did a great job in our opinion (some people however  you can't please no matter what).

We got our room however there was some uncertainty as to what seats we would get as the plan was to combine the two flights (Friday and Saturday's) on to one bigger plane. All came good in the end. We had booked premium economy as Dave won't fly longer than 4-5 hours in economy as he can't deal with being cramped for so long, again if you can ever do this, do it. Well worth the extra comfort.  The place we went on was a 747 and we were allocated seats in the 'bubble'. It was great, like having our own personal space :-)). The flight was certainly one of the best I have ever had.

After a 24 hour delay we arrived in the beautiful Antgua. The sun was shining and we were on holiday 😄.  We hadn't been in the cab long when the heavens opened and heavy rain came down. The taxi driver said before this week they had not had much rain and everything had been brown. For them rain is a wonderful thing. 

During the journey the driver chatted, mainly about cricket to Dave 😀.  I took this time to look out the window.  On the face of it it seems there is much deprivation here, I am not sure if that is just my impression or reality.  The houses are made of wood but many seemed to be in disrepair. As we got nearer to the hotel the buildings seemed to improve, whether these are people's homes or holiday homes/lets I don't know. 

It was stil raining when we arrived at the hotel however it was warm. The rain seems to rain hard for 5-10 minutes then stops.  The hotel room is basic but clean and has a great balcony overlooking the sea.  One of our first visits was to the supermarket to get some bug spray which we spray the room with as we leave to hopefully keep away the midges and gnats.

We have been here a day now and have started to unwind and relax. There are two swimming pools and we are right on the beach.  The sea is amazing and warm.  The staff are smiley and friendly which adds to the experience. We are hoping to get some diving in but as yesterday was Sunday, we've not managed to book anything yet.

It is now 5.50 in the morning but I've been awake since 3am. I did sleep from 9pm though, I think my body clock is a bit out but nothing a blog and a book can't help 😃🌴🌴🌴

West Wales Diving

I thought it was about time I added to the blog as I have not written for a while.

20/8/15

Dave and I made our way up last night, staying at a Travelodge to break up the journey.  I have to say it was better than expected and I had a comfy night sleep.  On our way again stopping a Cobb’s Farm and Kitchen for a delicious breakfast – including gluten free sausages!!!

 

Finally we reached the youth hostel.  I have to say a first for us.  Not bad, was our first impression.  We’d booked into a private room – snoring and talking in your sleep does not bode well for a restful sleep when you are worried about other people hearing you. It’s bad enough that Dave has to put up with it. 

 

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t as we would have liked and we were welcomed to Wales with rain L.  Nevertheless we decided to venture down to Little Haven where the plan is to dive tomorrow.  Seems to be a nice little bay so hopefully will be a relaxing dive.  While we were there we stopped at The Castle and had a lovely steak!!  Delicious.

 

Next stop back to the YHA for a relaxing evening, or so we had hoped.  As we pulled up there was a coach there!  Walking back in the place was full of children. I love children but if I am honest I suppose I only really enjoy the company of children of friends and family, not a crowd of loud children who I don’t know.  Sitting in the communal area trying to relax was not so relaxing.  We decided an early night was in order and retired to our room. At least it would be more peaceful.  Hmmmm or maybe not, windows open and young teenagers running around outside, echoing corridors with doors being slammed.  Not quite the experience I had hoped for but I am managing to cut it out a bit now.  On a positive note the staff here are lovely and friendly.

I think I should add here, the children were not being naughty in the slightest, they were just kids being kids.................I think the issue is Dave and I are getting old :-).

 

Well that’s it for now, I’m going to have a read and then hopefully some zzzzzzzzz.

Night all.

 

Our Room

 

View from The Castle Pub Little Haven

 


My Cubby Hole

Aufwiedesehen

Time to say goodbye. We packed our bags and had dinner last night then spent the evening chatting.  I didn't want to go to bed as it meant we would be leaving.  Dave and I were the first to leave this morning and it felt sad to say goodbye.  Some new friends had got up early to say goodbye, if you are reading this, thank you, it meant a lot :-).  We then had our heavy cases loaded on the dingy!!! We then had to get on ourself without falling in the water.....we did it then giving and receiving lots of waves. A taxi took us to the airport so we were able to see some of the local lives.  The houses looked a bit like barracks in the area we passed through. For some reason we were surprised that the Maldivian's drive on the same side of the road of us!  Part of the journey included crossing the airport runway and a sign saying "Give way to aircrafts" - a little unsettling :-).  

We are now waiting to board the plane and looking forward to seeing the photos and videos.

More importantly we can't wait to get home and see the family and Kea (the dog) :-))).

Adrenaline High and soon to say Goodbye

Well where do I start, we dived under a jetty last night and were surrounded by sharks and sting rays. It was a frenzy :-).  Before leaving I was pretty apprehensive. Although I was worried about the sharks I was also concerned about the sting rays - I really didn't want to come down on one of those!!!  

So it's dark, we jump in with a little light from our torches! As we descend what do I see directly under me....a sting ray!! It was actually an amazing sight :-).  We then settle onto the sandy bottom and watch the sharks and rays feed.....I can not say how many times I have been privileged this week. To see such wonderful animals in their natural environment has been amazing. There were too many sharks and rays to count, they just kept on coming, and coming and coming. The first spot quitened down a little then we moved to about 5 metres of water and saw more and more and more.  I just can not put numbers to these!  Alton Towers will need to up their game to match thus adrenalin rush. It's a strange feeling of being scared initially, to being excited then to a calmness and really enjoying them go by.  The sharks were mainly nurse sharks however there were also some black tip reef sharks.  We all thought there was only one black tip reef sharp however watching back the video there were three at one time going across so there had to be more!!  At one time one of the nurse sharks knocked into Dave.  At one point I felt something hit my tank, while I was under the water I told myself it was a person, but I'm not so sure. I didn't want to think what was behind me!!!!!  One of the lads Heika (not sure if that's spelt right), was telling us today that he was laying in the sand with his hands out front and on his knees, as if he was doing press ups, one of the sharks went between his arms and knees and allowed him to stroke it!  No explanation will ever give the full picture of this experience! I do have video but it needs editing! 

This morning we have our last dive and again a great dive sharks again..white tip and grey reef sharks. A turtle, a flat worm and and and....... :-).  Then once again just as we think it can't get better the pièce de résistance was a large leopard shark laying on the reef edge!!!

It is sad to pack our dive kit up but we have had a fantastic time. We have met some lovely people and had some great dives :-).