We were off the boat bright and early this morning. As we awoke, 5:45am ship time, the day was bright and awaiting our arrival to take on the island of Antigua. Antigua received it’s name because when it was first found there was thought to be lack of water. England use to own this island so it was named Antigua for lack of water. As we all know, the lack of water is not the case.
We jumped aboard a tourist van and drove east to west to take in all the sights of Antigua.
Our tour guide was fantastic. She really knew her history as she was born and raised in Antigua. The island use to be known for their sugar cane agriculture but this is no longer true. Tourism is their big money maker now.
My heart was conflicted with happiness to see the island but also shadowed with sadness. I just have this yearning feeling to share the news of Jesus Christ. I hope one day, I will be able to get more time on the islands to spread the good news. We would drive through villages and see very poor housing along with very rich houses but those houses were spread far and between in between the villages.
See the above tank beside the house? This tank filters the water so the residents are able to have clean water in their houses.
This tour really spoke to my heart. It really makes you think how blessed we are in the United States. We all take things for granted such as medical care. Here on the island they have clinics spread out throughout the villages. One doctor will visit the clinic only once a week. The clinics are very small.
There are two hospitals located on each sides of the island. The hospital was built well and the size was large.
Supermarkets are plentiful in the United States and stocked with plenty of foods. The supermarkets on the island are very few and very small.
Fried chicken is considered a huge favorite among the island people. There are officially three KFC’s on the island and each location always stays very busy and crowded.
After the Antigua Tour, we did get to visit one of the 365 beaches of Antigua. Long Bay was absolutely beautiful. White sandy beaches surrounded by such a beautiful color of water. We were able to swim and enjoy the lovely beach for just over two hours. The girls were having such a wonderful time and once again, we felt like we needed to pinch ourselves. This is just an amazing opportunity and we highly recommend to at least do one cruise trip with your family.
Our tour also led us to a much visited area of Antigua. The devil’s bridge. The water has caused so much erosion in the area that a bridge has formed. It is not advisable to walk on this bridge as you could get swept away easily. The view was still very beautiful.
During our drive back, we passed several tent vendors. These vendors are allowed to set-up only through Christmas to sell toys to families for Christmas presents.
Such an amazing island with so much history. A great day that helped the girls see how life is in other parts of the country. I am beyond happy the girls were able to experience this in real-life.
As we made our way back to the boat, we all were reflecting on the day as a family. Great conversations were had between all four of us. This was an excursion that you can book through Carnival on the boat. I highly recommend you at least take one excursion when you visit the different islands as you get a better in depth look.
The girls wanted to take a dip in the pool and enjoy the water slides in the water park back on the ship. How could we say no? We enjoyed for a few as it was almost time for dinner.
Tonight at dinner, Hubby and I enjoyed another new food. Lamb!
I was highly impressed. Very delicious. See why the cruise experience is amazing? You are able to try new things that you would probably never have the chance to try before or even take the leap to try them on your own. Amazing!
M was not a fan of the lamb but really enjoyed a comfort food – chicken pot pie.
During dinner, we were treated to another fun dance by our waiters. One of our waiters asked M to dance. Her face turned a bit red but she was smiling ear to ear.
Priceless! We are going to miss our wait staff so much. I feel like we have become family.
We ended the night in Ovation Theater to see the Latin Show. The girls were so tired though, we left early. A super-packed day wore them out and they were fast asleep not too much longer after we arrived back in our stateroom. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.
We are headed to the British Virgin Island – Tortola tomorrow. Excited to see what is in store for us. Talk soon!
