This month we had the very pleasant opportunity to go on a Caribbean cruise with my family (thanks mom and dad)! In addition to eating way more than we should, swimming and snorkeling with sea turtles, and experiencing some of the most vibrant and lively culture, I also was able to do some painting! Because what is an international trip with Amber without pausing every once in a while to paint the landscape? Keep reading to see some of the gouache paintings I did, as well as a little taste of our amazing trip.

The cruise itself left from San Juan, Puerto Rico and traveled through the surrounding islands, making stops at 5 of them, and then circling back to San Juan. We traveled with Royal Caribbean and felt very well taken care of. I am not an experienced cruiser and, while relaxing and enjoyable to not have to worry about meals and places to stay every night while traveling, my favorite part of being on the cruise was getting off the boat to see every port we visited as much as possible. It’s not my preferred way of traveling for sure, but every once in a while it is nice.

*Rainforest sketch in gouache painted while trying to catch a ride in St. John, USVI*

St Thomas

Our first stop after leaving port in San Juan was the US Virgin Island of St Thomas. We decided to make it an explore-on-our-own kind of day, and took the ferry to St John to hike (and hitchhike) in the National park there (that makes 18/63 national parks visited for me now!). We hiked Reef Bay trail that took us through dense rainforest past tons of colonial era plantation ruins, including the slave quarters and cane sugar storage buildings with a short detour to see some precolonial petroglyphs. The trail ended at the beach, but we barely had time to dip our toes before turning around to hike back up. Unfortunately no lingering with a boat to get back to! We had to catch a ride from a generous stranger back to the ferry because we had no cell service to call a taxi! It was quite moving to try and imagine the area in a time before emancipation and modern day ideals. It gave me complicated feelings, on the one hand it was heavy and depressing to think about all those people brought there against their will and forced to work the thousands of sugar plantations that existed in the Caribbean at the time, the effects of which are still felt and seen all over the islands today. But on the other, seeing the crumbling, decaying walls being slowly swallowed back up by the rainforest felt very symbolic and appropriate and strangely cathartic.

St. Maarten

Our next stop was to the joint Dutch/French island territory of St. Maarten. We stayed on the Dutch side in Philipsburg. We took a cruise excursion to go snorkeling and swim at a pristine beach. The snorkeling was subpar, due to cloud conditions in the water and in the sky, but it was still a super fun time to swim in the ocean and hang out on a catamaran. It was a beautiful island and our guides were super friendly and knowledgeable about the reef and their island. They took good care of us. We wandered the town and took a water taxi to get ice cream and a fried fish lunch on the beach. All in all a very enjoyable day. I was able to do a painting from the deck of our cruise ship of the island.

*Island botanical studies done on the cruise ship after leaving port*

St. Croix

Our third stop was back in the Virgin Islands, this time at St. Croix. We took today as a beach day and a chance to explore Frederiksted. We snorkeled for a bit and saw some sea turtles and a manta ray, as well as some really cool coral growing on an old pier. We got rained on a bit, but you honestly don’t notice it too much because it’s so warm! But it definitely kept me from painting, unfortunately. We were able to find a local restaurant that we were able to eat some Caribbean Creole food that was honestly one of the highlights of the trip.

Dominica

Our next stop was arguably my favorite stop of the entire cruise. The island nation of Dominica was barely a blip in my mind before this trip, now I think it’s up there for being one of the most beautiful places in the world. The mountains and the over abundance of rain made this a lush paradise that felt right out of Jurassic Park. The people as well were very friendly and clearly love their home. We took a 4×4 tour of the island with a very enthusiastic guide who was very candid and knowledgeable about the history of his home. We learned a lot about the colonial history as well as the geologic anomalies that created it. We saw hot springs, thousands of tropical fruit trees, beautiful and unique botanical gardens, as well as got to swim in a pumice slot canyon created by a fast flowing waterfall. We did not get to spend long enough here and will definitely have to go back to explore more of the natural features that made it unique.

Barbados

Our final stop of the cruise was the island nation of Barbados. We took a taxi to an animal wildlife refuge hoping to see monkeys but unfortunately missed them. We saw lots of other cool island creatures though! And got to see more of the island during our drive to the refuge. We then spent the rest of the day on the most pristine beach, and then while walking back to the boat had some delicious fried food and met a kitty resident that made us feel very welcome. Barbados is definitely the most urban of all the islands we visited so it was a little bit of a different vibe than we had been experiencing thus far. I didn’t have much time to do a painting unfortunately, but I did some sketch booking and it was still a relaxing time.

Puerto Rico

Our final day on the boat was a sea day that I spent literally glued to a lounge chair reading for basically the entirety of the day. It was a great time and I have to admit I didn’t do any painting. The next day was the last morning on the boat. We disembarked in San Juan and then spent the day exploring the old town and learning a ton about the history of the island. To say that the culture of Puerto Rico is vibrant and colorful would be an understatement. I enjoyed exploring the city and trying hard to parse the island accent with my rudimentary Spanish. The food also was to die for. If you’re a chocolate lover and planning a trip to Puerto Rico, definitely stop by Chocobar. Every item on their menu uses chocolate and it was too good, I’ll be dreaming about it for a long time to come. I did manage to get a gouache painting while sitting in a square in the old town, looking out to sea and trying to capture the wind swept palm fronds in front of El Morro.

All in all, my first stint in the Caribbean was a roaring success and I definitely hope to get back there someday. Being able to forget about all responsibilities for a while and just live the island vacation life was a balm for my soul.

Artist Travels: Eastern Caribbean

Art Events: PowHERful