Wed 9Apr - 14 Apr. We traverse the Atlantic which has been very kind to us thus far and for the past few days the ship has gently rolled and the temperture starts to drop. (At breakfast this morning the swimming pool had a half metre swell and one could imagine a surfer landing in our lap with the force of the wave.) It is a time for reading, lying on the deck and attending the lectures and the water colour classes. Each evening the entertainment is very good...

Saturday 5 April. Bridgetown, Barbados. This coral island was an English settlement 1625-1966 when it became independent. There is evidence of the slave trade in the chattel houses which were made of interlocking timber boards and placed on stone or brick pillars and were portable. As slaves moved from one plantation to another the house was disassembled and moved on a cart in pieces to be reassembled. They were added to as families grew and needs changed and...

April 3 Willemstad Curacao. Willemstad is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles and lies about 64 kms off the Venezuelan coast.. It is the largest of the islands and was discovered in 1499 by one of Columbus' lieutenants, Alonso de Ojeda together with Amerigo Vespucci.and Juan de la Costa. They called the island The Island of the Giants as they were met by Indians taller than themselves. In 2010 Curacao gained its independence and is now a self governing sta...

Thurs 27th. Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala. A fabulous market of about 50 stalls is at the other end of the gang plank and we take a cursory look before paying for a cab to take us into town with two friends. This expedition does not take long as we wind through a shanty town and reach the "jewel" of a beach. Grey black sands covered with polystyrene and other rubbish, the skeleton of a rusty mangled pier and miles of umbrellas where people are selling food and dri...

After leaving San Diego we sailed for three days before reaching the small port of Puerta Vallarta. The MS Balmoral is a much smaller ship than we have been on before and has 1100 passengers and 500 crew. Our cabin is great, larger than anything we had on the Cunard ships and we have our own balcony. The meals have been very good and there is a full range of activities should you wish to participate. E even has a watercolour workshop a couple of days each week...