7/24/2024 (Wednesday)
Grand Turk Island is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean. It's dotted with the remains of salt ponds and windmills from the island's sea salt industry, prevalent from the 17th to 20th century. The 19th-century Grand Turk Lighthouse is perched on a rocky bluff in the north. Beaches with clear water ring the island, which is home to wild horses and donkeys.
Turks and Caicos is an archipelago of 40 low-lying coral islands in the Atlantic Ocean, a British Overseas Territory southeast of the Bahamas. The gateway island of Providenciales, known as Provo, is home to expansive Grace Bay Beach, with luxury resorts, shops and restaurants. Scuba-diving sites include a 14-mile barrier reef on Provo's north shore and a dramatic 2,134m underwater wall off Grand Turk island.
We were staring out the window, and to our surprise, the world outside was still zipping by! We won't grace our destination with our presence until 1:00 pm today. Our grand adventure takes us to Grand Turk. How grand is that?
Grand Turk is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It's located in the West Indies, north of Hispaniola, between the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, and about 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida: Remember: Eat, sleep, cruise, repeat.
My iPhone sent me this picture from many years ago!
Sue and Mary were good friends for a long time!
We hit the gym and hopped on those stationary bikes, pretending we were in the Tour de France, racing around those corners like a swarm of angry bees was chasing us!
After the exercise, we headed to breakfast to refill the lost calories! My, what a breakfast. We both had a good BM (Bloody Mary), which at our age is a good thing. BMs are healthy as they are full of vegetables and alcohol. If we get stranded on a desert island and it is freezing, we will stay warm.
Decisions decisions
We returned to our cabin via the shops. We did learn from the kids that we signed up to have our baggage go directly to the airplane, so we did NOT have to lug everything around in the airport! It's like magic. (The kids found out about this; they are already seasoned cruisers) They should have been suspicious when I requested eighteen baggage tags. I will carry my gunny sack.
We stumbled upon the kids playing trivia, so we thought, "Why not?" We joined in and promptly realized that our collective knowledge was somewhat lacking when we only managed to get eleven out of twenty questions right. At least we had a good laugh about it!
We helped with the answers and then decided to prepare for the snorkeling adventure. We moved right into the beach area and walked off the ship. We were going to go shopping for a UV shirt for Mary.
We have arrived!
We strolled off the ship like we owned the place! The gentle breeze gave us a break from the scorching heat, but only just.
We got a big welcome! The port was full of restaurants and, of course, shops! Mary got her UV protection shirt, so we are good to go.
Who did we run into? Our kids were on land shopping like mad (remember, Colleen and Mark are the grandparents of four!)
Grand Turk played an essential role in the early space programs as the space capsules used to land near Grand Turk. We stopped and visited the display.
The Mercury astronauts are featured.
I was struck by the meticulous and engaging presentation of the space program exhibit. The attention to detail and depth of information were truly impressive, making it a memorable part of the overall experience.
An emergency landing could have been made on the Space Shuttle if necessary also a potential
We made a brilliant decision to take the kids to Margaritaville for lunch. It was an absolute blast!
There was plenty of breeze today!
Mark ran back to the ship to get some goodies for the dive that they had forgotten when heading out.
The girls were having a ball!
They did not have her favorite drink! OFF with their heads!
The Old Man And The Sea was pontificating this lunchtime. My UV protection shirt Mary got me worked pretty well. Mary does take good care of me. I'm at an age when my back goes out more than I do. When I was a boy, the Dead Sea was sick only.
The Old Man is a happy guy!
Now we walk to the boats carrying us to the snorkeling boats. After a relatively long walk through the beach sand, I was huffing and puffing when we arrived. We hopped on the boat and sped off for a fifteen-minute trip to the island's reefs.
Everyone suited up, but I decided to stay on board because my sciatica was acting up, and paddling around in the ocean currents would have been difficult. I stayed dry and did elbow exercises.
Jump on board1
The woman is like a fish and loves to snorkel.
Nice shoes!
My, you have a big nose!
Mark and Mary hit the water and headed out to the reef. They looked like a pair of speed boats!
Colleen took it slower, making sure her personal snorkeling equipment was adequately assembled. I was a slightly worried about her diving bell made from a gallon milk container.
Do I really have to go?
Yes!
One final check!
OK, here I go!
Last one in is a rotten egg!
The water was well into the 80s!
"Here I come!"
The yellow-horned fish is a scary sight. Today, she got a new nickname: "Flipper."
Lead me to the fishies!
Off she goes like a motor boat!
Our crew watched out for everyone!
"I didn;t know it was salt water!"
Who threw the yellow trash bags in the water??
Mark and Colleen are good at snorkeling!
We got back on the ship and headed to the island to visit the rays!
After recording, the captain sailed about a mile toward a sandy island. We jumped off without the snorkeling equipment and played with the rays. One ray was very friendly and he (or she) posed for many shots. The water was choppy, and I was wobbling all over the place!
Mary made a friend. He was indeed French!
The fish was indeed French; I got a little tongue!
It was 7:00 pm when we sprinted away from the grasps of the Manta Rays and raced to the awaiting ship, which couldn't sail without us at the scheduled 7:30 pm pre-planned departure time (the brochure said they would wait for us, but we know brochures lie!). We were moving faster than a seagull eyeing someone's fish and chips!
Our ship has not sailed yet.
"Wait for us!!"
After a long walk in the sand, we arrived on board at 7:27 pm to the applause of many passengers and crew.
As we reached the elevators, he heard the side door slam shut, the whistle blew, and they played the Theme From Love Boat. We were moving before we got to the 14th floor.
We are running!
The sun is setting.
Mark is zipping along at flank speed
We are off to our cabin to shower and remove the salt from our clothes. We washed off the salt to avoid being mistaken for walking snacks. That could be dangerous around the buffet at dinner time!
Bye bye Grand Turk!
The lights are on!
It was a beautiful sunset!
Then we rounded up the little ones at the Irish bar for family-friendly fun and eventually herded everyone to the trough for a hearty dinner.
We sat around looking at each other, waiting for the first person to admit defeat and want to return home. Being the "head of the family" (no bathroom comments from the peanut gallery), I suggested we turn in for the night. Instantly, a rousing applause began, and everyone followed suit. It was a mad rush to the elevators.
The kids bought the old man a giant ice cream sundae, which Mark delivered to the room. I wished he had not been wearing his pink thong; it frightened our cabin steward. As Mark sashayed down the aisle, I heard wolf whistles from all the ladies and a couple of the gents!
I took two bites, and my body gave out—I was completely out of gas.
I made a decision. I shall only allow the kids to address me as: elder, sage, veteran, patriarch/ matriarch, senior, time-honored individual, golden ager, wisdom bearer, seasoned soul, and grand elder!
