The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 40. Chapter 40 - Much To Do And So Little Time

The first stop my group made on this tour was to see the old Sunbury Plantation. The house was constructed in 1660 and built to last. It has two and a half-foot thick walls and the sash windows have jalousies (coverings with adjustable slats) on the outside and shutters on the inside. These can be closed up quickly during a storm, to protect the windows and lessen the impact. The plantation has withstood several hurricanes, yet suffered only limited damage. The worst damage was done when the roof was blown off, but it was later replaced and made as good as new again. The fact that the house has withstood so much adversity is definitely a testament to the quality of the work done by the craftsmen that built it. After viewing the interior of the ‘great house’ and seeing the collections of household furnishings, it also gives credence as to how wealthy its former owners must have been.

“What type of a plantation was it?” Sammy asked.

“I believe the main crop was sugar cane, although the estate grew other things too,” I replied. “It is my understanding that they most likely planted root crops, such as yams and carrots, as well as other foods, like corn and fruits. Most of these items would have been used to feed the people who lived and worked here, rather than being exported. The owners also planted the first Teak and Mahogany trees, which thrived in this climate. The wood they later got from these sources had many uses and brought in nice returns.”

“Did they have slaves?” Trey followed. I knew he was thinking about Dion when he asked this question, but it was a valid point.

“They did and it began when the first settlers brought their slaves with them. However, the slaves revolted several times during the next couple of centuries, with the final two such occurrences taking place in 1816 and 1823,” I replied. “Slave revolts were very big events when they happened and many slaves were often killed before it was over. Unfortunately, they didn’t become free as a result of the uprising, but slavery was finally abolished in the mid-1830s. That, however, didn’t mean the former slaves weren’t still taken advantage of, since many of them then became indentured servants. In some cases, the indentured servants didn’t receive any wages and merely worked for their room and board. It took a few more years before laws were passed to prevent this from happening too and other statutes were enacted so persons of color were no longer discriminated against.”

Trey looked a bit disappointed after I told him slavery had flourished here, as it had in the States, but I think he was also grateful Dion wasn’t with us to learn about it as well. Shortly after this discussion, we turned our attention back to the tour and went off to see the collection of authentic old carts and machinery that had been used on the plantation, as well as an impressive assortment of antique horse-drawn carriages. Once we had viewed all of these items, we finished our tour and moved on.

After leaving the plantation, we went to the restored signal station at Gun Hill. Originally, it was constructed in 1818 to warn of approaching ships and signal slave rebellions, after the big Bussa rebellion of 1816. The Barbados National Trust has recently restored the site and it consists of a small building, with an impressive cannon standing beside it. There is also a large stone lion, which the boys wanted to know more about.

“Man, that is really beautiful,” Andrew observed. “Do you know anything about it?”

“A little,” I replied. “During my research, I learned this lion was hand carved from a single rock by one of the men stationed here.”

“Wow, it must be he didn’t have much else to do then,” Trey quipped.

“He was an officer, but he didn’t work on it while he was on duty,” I responded. “He sculpted the lion on his own time.”

“How long did it take him to do it?” Barry followed. I think he wanted Andrew to know he was interested in this too.

“That I don’t know,” I admitted, “but judging from the primitive tools he would have had to work with, I assume it took him quite a while.” My answer seemed to satisfy the boys, so we continued looking around.

From the station, we were also able to enjoy some breathtaking views, since you could virtually see all around the island from this vantage point. The station was located so you could observe various happenings for miles in every direction. When the station was in use, I’m certain the surrounding land was kept sufficiently clear so you could see anyone approaching on foot or by horseback as well.

From there, we journeyed to St. John’s Church, which is a gothic style Anglican Church. Its history goes back to 1645, but the present structure only dates back to 1836. It was constructed to replace the previous building, which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1831. That may have been the primary reason stone was used to construct the present edifice. St. John’s features a large tower, beautiful stained glass windows and has a grand circular stairway in the rear, which leads to the choir loft. Apart from the church, the site is taken up by an impressive churchyard, which contains the graves of many notable people. There is also a large sundial adorning one end of the cemetery and it is amazingly accurate, considering the technology.

“What’s uh Aag-liken Church?’ Barry wondered. I looked at the others quickly, to ensure they didn’t make fun of his pronunciation.

“Maybe you learned in one of your history classes that England broke from the Church in Rome when Henry VIII was king,” I began. “Therefore, it is a Protestant sect which is headed by the King or Queen of England. Since the British Isles were first settled by the Angles and Saxons, it is referred to as the Anglican Church.” I think my response was more than Barry really wanted to know, but I elaborated for the sake of the others as well.

After concluding this portion of our tour, we proceeded to our next stop on the Caribbean side of the island by traveling along some very narrow and winding roads. Our route was surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery you might ever see, which made the return journey very enjoyable too.

Our next stop was Pelican Village, but we wouldn’t be spending much time here. I had made plans to whisk the boys off for another unusual treat – which would take place at Lucayan National Park. The park was named for the now extinct Lucayan Indians and I was going to take the boys kayaking. I figured the boys would enjoy this little diversion, before we returned to the ship.

Oh, it’s probably not what you’re imagining, because the kayaks we were going to use were wide-bottomed, two-person crafts that are very stable. There is also no white water or rapids involved, and we would only be using them to tour the park. Still, I figured it would be a pleasurable and unusual way to investigate the area.

After splitting up and putting each of the younger boys with someone older, I discovered it left Graham by himself. I hadn’t realized we had an odd number of people in this group, eleven including me, but this time it wasn’t a problem. It worked out that Graham was able to ride in the first kayak, behind our guide, and Graham seemed fine with this arrangement. Now that everything had worked out, we set off to check out our surroundings.

This National Park isn’t anywhere as expansive as the National Parks in the United States, but it is still very lovely and well kept. Over the next hour, we navigated the crafts through a vast collection of orchids, groves of mangrove, palm and pine trees, and a wide variety of other tropical vegetation. We were also able to see many flamingos and numerous other tropical birds, as well as a few aquatic creatures. When we returned to our starting point, we turned everything in and got ready to leave. It had been a nice change of pace and I think everyone in my group was satisfied with the experience.

When we returned to Pelican Village, everyone picked up some small reminder of our brief, yet wonderful, stay here. Once the boys had what they wanted, we went to our rendezvous point, which was near the ship and where we were going to meet up with the other half of our family.

The group that went with Jake started by filling out a medical questionnaire first. Once it was deemed each of them met the requirements to participate, they were instructed in the basics of scuba diving next, before they were given their equipment. Not only were they acquainted with the breathing apparatus and tank they would use, but they were also given brief lessons on air pressure, air consumption, breathing compressed air and the risks inherent in scuba diving. Once this was completed and each of them understood the information, they were ready to move to the next level.

A short time after finishing the class, the group took their first plunge into Carlisle Bay. It was just a trial run, but it gave them a feel for what they were about to do. Some of the boys did have a little difficulty remembering to breathe through the apparatus in their mouth, rather than trying to breathe through their nose, but they eventually caught on. After this first quick dip, their guides answered any questions they had about what they had just done, as well as about what they were going to do next, before they were allowed to participate in the main dive.

This time, they dove to a depth of around eighteen feet, but never went deeper than forty feet, as they began to explore the exterior of several shipwrecks. The boys had been advised that they shouldn’t try to enter any of these vessels, because their gear might get snagged or punctured, which could in turn lead to serious injury. Everyone heeded this advice, yet still managed to have a very enjoyable time exploring these wrecks.

Jake’s group also got a close look at a coral reef, which was similar to the one we’d seen during our ride on the submarine. However, this time they got to examine it in more detail. The boys were warned that the ecosystem was very fragile, so they had to be extremely careful to keep from damaging it.

You may already know that coral reefs only exist in equatorial regions, roughly contained between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Corals are living creatures, and when they die their exoskeletons become the basis for forming these reefs. Many other creatures inhabit these areas as well and are dependent upon the reef for their survival.

After spending time investigating the wonders underwater, that group returned about a half hour after my group reached the rendezvous area. After chatting with them briefly and sharing our experiences, we headed back to the ship.

It was after 9:00 when we boarded and most of the boys were quite tired. A few of them were also hungry, so they went to get something to eat before going to their cabin, but the rest of us went directly to our rooms. I made sure the three little ones showered and were tucked in first, before Jake and I went back to our cabin to do the same.

While we were with the trio, they made sure to thank us again and let us know what a great time they’d had. Even though Andrew appeared happy too, I think he was still trying his best to hide his disappointment about not being able to go snorkeling the previous day. Even though he understood his injury limited the things he could do and was coping with it, this didn’t mean his inability to participate in certain activities didn’t bother him. I was glad he was handling it as well as he was, but I also understood part of the reason he was doing even this well had to do with the fact that Barry and Jesse were helping to distract him most of the time. I’m not sure what it would have been like for him, if the other two were not by his side most of the time.

The following morning, we docked in Martinique, which is part of the French West Indies. Since I wanted to get started as soon as we could, I talked the boys into having an early breakfast and then hustled them off to catch our bus. It took us on a short ride to our starting point and we were ready to participate in the ‘Fort de France Walking Tour.’

The tour started at La Savanne Park, which is twelve and a half acres of lush tropical landscape and located near Fort de France. Although it is quite beautiful, the boys weren’t really in to it, so I shortened our time there. Once we left the park, we went into the city, which is filled with colonial homes and numerous church steeples. Although this is the island’s capital city, I have to say I found it to be a bit on the grubby side. We saw a lot of peeling paint and sagging frameworks, which definitely detracted from our impression of the place.

From there, we went to Fort St. Lewis. This is a naval base that was first established in 1638 and has a long and storied history. It has gone through several transformations over the years, as it developed into what it is today. After leaving the fort, we viewed the War Memorial and Empress Josephine’s statue next. She was Napoleon’s first wife and is revered here. Some say that is because she was born and raised on the island, even though there is some dispute about that claim.

We went to the Bibliotheque Schoelcher after that, which is a library that was built to house the books left to the city by Victor Schoelcher, upon his death. He had lived in Martinique and was most noted for helping to end slavery there. The building was constructed entirely in France and then shipped to its present location, where it was assembled. Its design is often referred to as a Byzantine-Egyptian-Romanesque style, which is not only unusual, but also quite unique to behold.

We then went to see three other historic buildings, the prefecture, Maison Bougenot and the old municipal theater. Even though they are all quite nice looking and part of the local history, they weren’t overly impressive. I am glad we took the time to check them out, but we didn’t stay at any of those places for very long. After that, we made a stop so everyone could taste sugar cane juice, before moving on to see the farmers market, the courthouse and our final stop, the St. Louis Cathedral. This is a Baroque style church, with a 200-foot high steeple, and was designed by the same gentleman that designed the library.

As we finished this tour, I noticed it was only 10:30. It was hard to believe it was still so early, since we’d already done so much, but it was still a little too soon for lunch. Since we really didn’t have another option, we stopped for a snack instead. I didn’t want the boys to wait until after our next stop before they ate anything or they might get very irritable before they were able to chow down again. Once we finished up there, we moved on to take the ‘St. Pierre and Island Tour.’ This outing began at the ruins of the old city, which triggered the first question.

“What is that?” Sammy asked, while pointing at the ruins.

“It is all that is left of what used to be known as ‘Petit Paris,’ or the Paris of the West Indies. It’s the remains of the original city of St. Pierre.”

“What happened to it?” Sammy followed.

“It was destroyed when Mt. Pelee erupted in 1902,” I informed him. “The volcano,” I stated, while pointing at the mountain looming in the distance, “released large quantities of hot ash and poisonous gases, which killed all but one of its 30,000 inhabitants and destroyed the buildings. Even though the city was later rebuilt, around the ruins of that disaster, it has never regained is former glory.”

As we viewed the ruins, I think we all felt more than a twinge of sadness. It’s not everyday that you stand in front of such a reminder of how fragile life can be and how quickly nature can snuff so many out of existence. It doesn’t matter whether it happens as a result of a volcano, earthquake, tornado, hurricane or even a tsunami. They can all be devastating to those caught up in one.

From there, we made our way through several coastal villages and saw the spot where Christopher Columbus supposedly landed in the New World. We then made our way up into the mountains, where we were able to witness some magnificent views. This included a long-range look at Martinique’s rainforest.

After descending the mountain slope, we returned to Fort de France, where the boys eagerly picked out some items to indicate they had been here. They also filled out a few postcards for their friends, aunts and uncles, to let them know what they had been up to and that they were doing fine. I felt this was extremely thoughtful of the boys, so I praised them for being so considerate.

We returned to the ship around 1:45 in the afternoon, which was cutting it close. The ship was scheduled to leave port around 2:00 and then we’d spend the next two and a half days at sea, on our way back to Fort Lauderdale. Our time on board would be much the same as it was on the way to these tropical destinations, but this time the boys would be winding down. They would be swapping stories about their time at the wonderful places we had visited and thinking ahead to what we would do once we got back, but I had one final activity planned for them.

Little Ricky’s birthday was on the 17th, so I spoke to the Captain during one of our visits to the bridge and asked him if he’d mind if I threw a birthday party for him on the way back. The Captain seemed thrilled when I made this request and immediately granted his approval. In fact, he also had me explain to his staff what I was hoping to do and then they took care of most of the details for me, which included arranging for a huge birthday cake. That’s why, when we went to lunch that afternoon, I led the family to the Captain’s dining hall. The only one confused about this was Little Ricky, because I had told the others what I had planned. I also warned them not to mention it to him, because I wanted Little Ricky to be surprised. Oh, and was he surprised.

We were actually holding the party the day before his birthday, because we would be disembarking for the final time at 8:00 the following morning. Therefore, I felt this would be our best opportunity to do it, since I wasn’t sure what I could arrange, once we reached Miami again. Not only that, but by holding his party onboard ship, I figured it would also help to make it more memorable.

When we entered the room, the first thing all of us noticed was a huge banner that read, ‘Happy Birthday Richard.’ Several members of the staff and crew were also present and sang to him as we entered. Of course, the rest of us joined in, but if you could have seen the expression on Little Ricky’s face, it was priceless.

In addition to those I’ve already mentioned, the Captain also made an appearance, plus he had allowed me to invite some of the other passengers we had made friends with during the cruise. This included a boy and a girl Little Ricky had spent time with and were both close to his age. I think he was surprised, yet very pleased, to see them here as well, so even the guest list was a success.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch first, after which we were each given a portion of Little Ricky’s cake, but not until we sang to him again and he blew out the sixteen candles. We were also served a dish of ice cream to enjoy with our cake and the party went off quite nicely. It is still hard for me to accept that Little Ricky is this old already; because I tend to think of him as the young boy we first met several years ago. However, he will be a high school senior in the fall.

I told Little Ricky he’d receive his presents when we returned home, but I did hand him a card. He opened it and read what I had written inside and then turned and hugged me. I had jotted down that it was time for my son to get his license, so we’d make an appointment for him to take his driving test, right after school started. Then, he, too, would become a member of the group that enjoyed a little more freedom and responsibility than the younger family members.

Little Ricky thanked all of us, especially the Captain, for making his birthday so special. He also thanked us for remembering his special day, before admitting he thought we might forget it, since we were having so much fun on vacation. I instantly assured him that would never happen, because I enjoyed celebrating each of their birthdays as much as they did.

The Captain also saw to it that we were well catered to for the rest of the day and into the evening. First, he had a couple of his junior officers give us a tour of some of the other areas of the ship that few other passengers ever get to see. After splitting us into two groups, we got to see the galley, engine room, crew quarters and other areas that are strictly off limits to anyone not working for the cruise line. Not only that, but after dinner we were invited to attend a private show.

You see, during one of our previous conversations, the Captain asked what things we liked the most during the cruise and somehow remembered what we told him. Using this information, he then got a couple of the performers we had mentioned to agree to do a show that would only be attended by our family and the guests we had invited to the party. The entertainers then geared what they did specifically to us, by including references the captain had provided them about things only our family, or those we had filled in about them, would know. They mentioned Little Ricky several times, which made his special day even more special, and I know we all really enjoyed and appreciated their efforts.

I made sure to thank the Captain and his staff for everything they had done, before we went back to our cabins for the remainder of the night. I understand Graham gave a very special treat to the birthday boy as well, by letting Little Ricky make love to him. This wasn’t an activity Graham did very often, and when he did, it was only with others he really cared deeply about. I think Little Ricky understood what an honor and privilege Graham was bestowing on him, which made it even more enjoyable.

When we reached Fort Lauderdale Thursday morning, the boys were a bit sad the cruise was over. They’d had a great time, but our vacation wasn’t finished yet. They understood we would be spending three nights here, enjoying the beach, the hotel pool and taking walking tours around the city, before returning to Miami. From there, we would take off to visit our next set of exotic locations.

Sunday morning we took a bus back to Miami, because we had to catch our next cruise ship that afternoon. This time we’d be going to a different part of the Caribbean, so we’d be able to enjoy more unique experiences. I hoped the boys weren’t growing tired of what we were doing, but we wouldn’t be gone for very long. This would be another short cruise and last only eight days. We wouldn’t be spending as much time at sea either, since our destinations weren’t as far away, so I felt the boys would be fine. We’d return from the cruise the following Sunday and then catch our flight home.

Peter was scheduled to leave us a short time after we got back to Pennsylvania, which I suspected would create a rough period for all of us. We’ve grown very attached to him, because he is an exceptional young man and we’ve enjoyed having him with us, so his departure wasn’t going to be easy. I knew he felt just as close to us, so he’d also find the parting difficult and would probably be very emotional when it came time to leave. Therefore, I was trying to think ahead and determine how I could handle this situation, to make it easier on everyone involved. I considered it important to lessen the profound impact his departure would have on both Peter and my family, without making promises I couldn’t keep.