In my previous post, I described life on board our ship, Carnival Sunshine. Today is all about our first port of call - Grand Turk.
Grand Turk is the largest in the Turks Islands in the Turks and Caicos island group. That's not saying a whole lot because it is only 6.9 square miles. While checking out the excursions on Carnival's website and comparing them to the actual map of the island, my husband and I decided to forgo a guided tour and simply walk it. Truth be told, I wanted to put on my running shoes and run the island. I mean, why not, it is less than 10 miles from cruise ship to light house and 1.5 miles wide. To be fair to my husband, I decided a walk would be just fine.
After disembarkation, we meandered for a few minutes around the tourist shopping area and ended up in the parking lot where all the taxis and tour buses awaited their passengers. A man just arriving for work asked us what our plans were. We shrugged and said, "Don't know, we are winging it." He suggested a taxi to historic downtown, which is half way to the lighthouse, on the west side. We took a picture of the map at the taxi station and decided it was a good plan.
The taxi driver told us that since it was Sunday, everything would be closed until later in the day, but we could walk around. He also told us the population of the island was approximately 4,000 with either 6 or 8 churches (I can't remember exactly). According to the taxi driver, the islanders are very religious.
Once out of the taxi, I made a bee line for the beach. It was that exceptional shade of blue that is only seen in the Caribbean with soft sandy beaches and coral reefs. I took a few photos then we headed north, then east. We meandered about a half mile when it began to rain. Not a hard rain, just hard enough for us to want to take shelter under someone's front porch.
When the rain slowed to a slight drizzle, we headed up Lighthouse Road, stopped for another short rain shower under another front porch, then finally the clouds blew west and the rest of the day was bright and sunny.
The driver told us something about livestock that we didn't quite believe until we saw it. Horses and donkeys roam free. The horses are privately owned and usually stay near their owners. He didn't give an explanation of the donkeys except that they used to be the sole form of transportation. We, I mean me, were able to get pretty close to the several small herds we encountered on our walk. (see video). He also told us about the prison that still stands but is unused and that the governor is still appointed by the Queen of England. More information than if we had purchased a cruise-ship excursion! Cheaper, too! Cost of a taxi from the ship to downtown was $5.00 each. Expensive until you learn the price of gasoline! (it was about triple that of gas at home at the time)
Always on the lookout for good photo ops, I noticed a semi-open fence/gate that had a path leading to the beach. On the ground next to the fence was a sign that read, "Private Property, Please Stay On Path". I, of course, dashed inside. My husband was hesitant yet joined me anyway. So glad we went down that path!! It was beautiful. Looked like no one had been down there since the last hurricane. Beach was undisturbed, plant life flourished, seaweed in heaps from where it had washed up on the beach. I could have stayed there for hours taking pictures. Alas, we only had until 1:30, five-and-a-half hours total.
Thirty minutes or so later, a young couple in a rented golf cart asked us if we wanted a ride. They were also headed to the lighthouse. Gratefully, we accepted. I told my husband, "God provides!"
The lighthouse itself was smaller than I had imagined. No wonder we never saw it from the road. It was built in 1852 and is the only lighthouse in the country. The painted white structure sits near a cliff on the northernmost aspect of the island and is surrounded by a low fence in which live a family of.... donkey. The tower itself stands only 60 feet tall, a total of 108 feet above sea level.
Upon arrival, I placed my backpack on a picnic table. Immediately, we were rushed by several of the little critters looking for a handout. I thought they were adorable, especially the baby. My husband thought they were pests. Cute pests.
Near the cliff was an unused or unfinished zip line course. It didn't look safe. Maybe that's why it wasn't being used. In any event, I took photos of the cliffs, the shoreline below, and just missed a herd of crab. Darn.
We then walked all the way back to downtown, bought a few souvenirs from a street vendor, then hopped a cab back to the ship. All in all, it was an excellent day. Perfect island to just go and wander. I only wished we had a few more hours.....maybe next time.
Please see the YouTube video for all the photos. http://youtu.be/Wuu3Zi94-3M
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