We headed out for our rental pickup and after a short walk arrived at the agencies office right near the cruise ship terminal. Unfortunately they had Robyn’s reservation on a different day (their mistake as Robyn was armed with all her e-mail correspondence) so this created a bit of a delay as they scrambled to get us a vehicle. After a short wait we jumped in a near new Suzuki Jimmy and headed out to start our day. It was a nice vehicle and suited or purpose very well.
We decided to head north towards a Earth cache that both Robyn and Mark had done the last time they were on the island. It is located at the north tip at the Animal Flower Caves. Our drive took us on highway H1B which was pretty much just like all the other roads we have been on but a bit busier traffic wise with lots of beach type resorts along the coast. After a relatively short time and a bit of a reroute we arrived at the caves. Above them the viewpoint offered a spectacular view on the North Point where huge waves crashed against the rocks and exploded skyward.
We then had a guided tour of the caves down below. We descended down a steep flight of stairs and into the rear of the cave. The cave itself has been hollowed out by the waves over the many centuries. It was where a well know music video by Billy Ocean was made called the Caribbean Queen. Google it up for some inside video!
Both Robyn and Mark had been here before but they said the water was much higher and they could not get inside as far. This trip was a whole new experience for them with the highlight of being able to swim in a beautiful pool.
It was a fantastic experience but did give me a few minutes of tension as a wave breached the entrance and hit us I stood near the opening. Before I knew it my glasses were gone and I was basically blinded. Both Kelly and Mark had swum away but I was right near a rock so dove behind it just as the wave hit. I went to grab them but I was too slow…old age I guess. LOL After the waters cleared Kelly spotted them on the bottom of the pool and Mark dove in with his snorkeling mask. A couple seconds later I had my glasses back on and relief for me set in. We had a good laugh now and swam out to get back top side for a cold beer!
It was a great experience and one that we will never forget. We did the caching requirements and then headed towards the south end (via Highway H2A) to Pebbles Beach for some snorkeling. Mark did a great job driving on the left again and deftly handled the roundabouts.
We found some parking and hit the warm clear waters. We spotted lots of neat fish and also a turtle swimming along. Kelly finally figured out the mask snorkel thing and was enjoying her first real snorkeling adventure here. We returned to the ship and after our usual sail away drinks on deck we headed to dinner.
It was 70’s night and the band was rocking the place at the Centrum. We enjoyed the show that the ship’s dancers put on and then headed to bed. Although tomorrow is our cruise day home we have lots of activities planned. A kitchen tour and a special meeting of consecutive cruisers… like us!
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