FATHOM: OUR FINAL CHAPTER

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

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“Gratitude” doesn’t fully describe how I feel about the experiences Bruce and I shared during our three Fathom Impact Travel cruises. There were so many memorable experiences that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Any impact we made in the Dominican Republic and Cuba came back around in such wonderful ways—all described in the many blog posts I have written about our January, March, and April visits. Search “Fathom” on this blog site, and you can read about them all.

On our last cruise, as planned, we reunited with some passengers we had previously met aboard Adonia; but, we also unexpectedly saw others from our January and March cruises.

Each one of us had re-booked a Fathom Impact Travel cruise for similar reasons, and all of us were eager to continue making an impact.

When Fathom’s Adonia sets sail on May 21 to the Dominican Republic, it will be her last sailing under the Fathom flag. Her lease expires, and then she will sail to Europe to become a P&O ship once again. All of her crew with the exception of the Impact Travel Staff will sail with her.

The Dominican Republic flag (left) is the only national flag with a bible on it.

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Adonia will be missed. As a former 6-star Renaissance ship (before the company folded), she’s a classic beauty built in a style no longer seen in new ships. Beautiful mahogany, crown molding, etched glass, impeccable craftsmanship—these are all abundantly featured throughout the 704-passenger ship.

Fathom may be all about “Impact Travel” rather than the vehicle getting us to our destinations; but, what Adonia did for Fathom was to provide a more intimate atmosphere for its passengers, enabling them to meet and share experiences more easily.

A favorite place to bond with our fellow cruisers was on the aft deck outside of “The Conservatory”, the buffet and casual dining area of the ship. It became a popular meeting place for travelers to hang out with a cold drink, and swap stories of their Impact Travel activities. Friendships were made and cemented, especially during sea days when there was no concern about the time.

When Bruce and I taught arts and crafts classes aboard larger Royal Caribbean ships, we often commented about the many people we saw disembarking that we never saw during the cruise.

Not so aboard Adonia. Between the cohort meetings, workshops, dining room unassigned seating, and Impact Travel activities; we at least recognized everybody during disembarkation. We also left with many more e-mail addresses and friendships than we ever had before.

On May 28, Fathom as we know it will end. The following is an official statement I received upon request from Tara Russell, President of Fathom, regarding Fathom’s future:

There is a macro trend around the hunger for greater meaning and purpose in our everyday lives – people want to live their best story and long to go deeper. This exists independent of Fathom and manifests daily as a growing audience of consumers work to combine their purchases and experiences with their values. Fathom addresses this growing desire through travel experiences. Fathom invites travelers to get closer by traveling in new and exciting ways. Fathom heightens human connections between travelers, with new local friends and other cultures, and in any relationship a traveler may touch.

During our first season, Fathom trialed this purpose-driven concept by testing traveler appetites for travel-deep experiences with 7-day journeys on the MV Adonia to the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Nearly 10 percent of Fathom travelers who joined these sailings returned quickly to participate again and our customer satisfaction scores were among the highest in the corporation. In short, the Fathom concept was very well received.

We always intended to serve our much broader corporate audience of 12 million travelers. The popularity of the Fathom experience with travelers who sailed with us inspired us to move quickly to expand the Fathom concept – onboard, onshore and in new and creative ways to serve an even greater audience.

Going forward, Fathom Travel experiences will live aboard countless other ships operated by our nine sister brands and offer beyond immersive experiences in many geographies. Fathom is designed to intersect and inspire the lives of travelers anywhere through heightened human connections that unlock human potential and connect travelers to a bigger story.

Already, we are providing Fathom Travel experiences on-ground to travelers across six Carnival Corporation brands in the Dominican Republic. We are honored to leverage our collective scale as we come alongside our Dominican friends to create enduring contributions to the lives of families and communities. Soon Fathom experiences will also be offered on board our sister brands.

Fathom looks forward to serving the 12 million people who annually travel with Carnival Corporation, as well as the millions of new travelers who long to go deeper into our growing community. We’re nearing the end of chapter one, but there is much ahead for the rest of the Fathom story and the best is yet to come!

As of today, I have not received any definitive answer if Fathom will ever again have a dedicated ship for its Impact Travel mission. If it does, I doubt it will be intimate and casino-less like Adonia.

Thanks for the memories!

Marcia (IDDI), Steven (IDDI), Me, Wilmers (IDDI), Colin (Fathom Impact Travel Staff Manager), Bruce, Raymond (IDDI)

Frank (Entrena)

Marvin (wait staff) remembered us from our previous cruise and visited us often on the aft deck for chats.

Tomasito, leader of the Cuban band aboard ship

Mauritza, Jessica, Brandon, and Len. We cruised with Jessica and her dad on the January 1st and April 9th sailings.

Mauritza and Jessica

OUR THIRD VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; OUR SIXTH AND SEVENTH TO CHOCAL

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Type “Chocal” into the search box above, and a list of several blog posts will appear that I have written about Chocal, the women’s cooperative chocolate factory and cacao plantation in the Dominican Republic (the DR). In all, Bruce and I participated in Fathom’s Impact Travel program at Chocal seven times; three visits during our January 1^st Fathom Adonia cruise, twice on our March 12 cruise, and twice on our final visit to the DR, during the week of April 9, 2017.

Those earlier blog posts included information about how Chocal was established (although I didn’t mention how the factory replaced what was once a nightclub hangout for drug dealers and other criminals). I wrote about the benefits Chocal has provided the thirty women and 130 families of the Altamira community. The chocolate-making process was also described, from bean to bar, including photos I shot of the cacao processing machinery. Our volunteer contributions were also detailed including the impact our work groups made on Chocal’s production.

Although cacao beans are very bitter to bite into, the white pulp surrounding the beans is sweet and delicious! I was given the remainder of the seeds in this pod to suck on and enjoy– about half of the 50 seeds it contained.

Since then, the cumulative impact has grown as more and more Fathom passengers volunteered at Chocal. As of April 15 of this year (the one year anniversary of Fathom Adonia’s first sailing), 4,419 passengers have visited Chocal and sorted 5,186 pounds of cacao nibs, resulting in 152,994 finished chocolate products. In addition, since the neighboring cacao plantation nursery was added to the Impact Travel program, 29,920 cacao seeds were planted. Of those, roughly 75% will grow to become cacao trees. In three years, those trees will be each produce about 20 pods ready to harvest each May and November for the next 30-40 years. Each of those pods will contain about 50 seeds—enough to produce a 2-ounce bar of chocolate to be sold in the Dominican Republic. (In addition, Chocal exports cacao nibs to Canada and the U.S.A., earning $2 per pound.)

The inside of a cacao seed is very bitter!

Bruce and I made a personal impact at Chocal as well, bringing a box of ear plugs to the factory workers (when we visited in March) with promises to send more if the workers cared enough about preserving their hearing to use the ear plugs regularly.

I also brought memories with me during that second visit, giving each of the workers photo notecards I had made of the photos I had taken of them last January. Their reactions and expressed gratitude was gratifying and left a lasting warmth in our hearts.

Our final Fathom Adonia voyage was during the week before Easter (a very important holiday in the DR), and we were there the day before and day of Good Friday. As a result, many of the women of Chocal were home cooking and preparing for the holiday, so we didn’t get to see some of them again as we had hoped. Still, our two visits were special, memorable, and heart-warming.

We arrived once again with an armful of photo notecards—this time, made with photos of our Chocal friends holding the cards I had given them in March; and, we brought another box of ear plugs to keep them well-stocked for a while.

Our bus driver, Diosiris Dipre (“Dipre”) was the same one we had last March, and he appeared very happy to see us again! His sincere gratitude for such a simple gesture of giving a photograph reminded me of how random acts of kindness can make such a positive impact.

Our bus driver, Dipre & IDDI facilitator, Juan

Gumarcindo, the nursery’s manager, also welcomed us warmly once again and laughed heartily when I gave him another photo card. I wish I would have remembered to take another picture of him holding his card, because the photo on the card showed him holding the card I gave him in March that had the picture I took of him in January on it! We got so busy working at the nursery, I completely forgot. It’s another one of those photos that got away…

Our IDDI facilitator on the bus with us this time was Juan, an IDDI rep we had seen during previous visits, but hadn’t gotten to know, since he was on the other bus in the past. The guy is a hoot, and we had a lot of laughs with him during both of our days going to Chocal. His grandmother works at the factory, and even though she didn’t speak any English, we managed to form a bond through smiles and gestures.

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Juan

Juan’s grandmother

Steven, another IDDI facilitator was there once again, and he seemed happy to see us and start another round of teasing, picking up from where we left off in March.

Steven & Bruce

As we saw the women, one-by-one, throughout our time at the factory, each one recognized us and greeted us with hugs. It was nice to be remembered once again!

At one point, though, I had a brief moment of sadness when we passed through the office to work in the packaging area, and Bruce noticed the box of ear plugs we had given them in March. The box was sitting on top of a high pony wall in the exact same place where it had been left after I demonstrated to the president how to use the ear plugs. When Bruce saw what appeared to be the unused box and told me about it, he had a disappointed look on his face. He said, “I don’t think they’ve touched those ear plugs since you gave them the box.” My heart sank, and I wondered whether I should even give them the second box I had brought. Not giving it a second thought, I doubled back to check the box for myself. Just as I opened it and noticed it only two-thirds full, Milagros (the factory manager) walked in and exclaimed, “Si! Si!!” as she pointed to her ears and smiled. The workers were in fact using the ear plugs, and they were very grateful to receive more! That made my day.

After our work session officially ended and the others shopped in the gift shop, Bruce and I stayed behind to give one last push of sorting beans. As a final parting “gift”, Steven took me back into the factory where we had molded chocolates, gave me a plastic glove, and told me to hold out my hand. In it landed a palm-ful of warm chocolate from the bowl we had worked from to create our little chocolate works of “art”. I will never forget how gooood that chocolate tasted as I licked every bit up! I savored it slowly knowing it could very well be the last visit we ever make to Chocal.

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Coming up next: OUR REUNION WITH THE WOMEN OF REPAPEL

“WHEREVER YOU GO BECOMES A PART OF YOU SOMEHOW” – Anita Desai

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

It wasn’t until our third cruise aboard Fathom’s Adonia (and multiple visits to the dining room to enjoy their superb cuisine) that I really noticed this quote on the mural located in the dining room lobby. On every previous dinner visit, we had made a beeline right past it in excited anticipation of the meal we were about to enjoy with our fellow travelers. During our third night aboard ship, though, we were meeting Fathom Impact Staff Member, Francisco, for dinner. He was our cohort leader on the previous cruise, and he wanted to hear about the adventures we had experienced at Chocal and Santiago de Cuba during the last cruise, and our return to Santiago that day.

We arrived just minutes ahead of Francisco, and this time, I did a double-take when I walked past the mural. Indian novelist, Anita Desai struck a chord in my heart with her words…

Francisco and Bruce

I have traveled in 65 countries and 36 states, and all of those experiences have become a part of who I am. Nothing else has had more influence on me socially, emotionally, intellectually, or politically as my travel experiences.

Feeling and expressing gratitude is one of my keys to happiness in life, and I owe my ability to appreciate to all those times I left the safety and comfort of my home, and familiar surroundings.

Although my husband, Bruce hasn’t had the extent of travel experiences I have, those we have shared have had the same positive effect on his life. We are in sync, and we both craved to return for one last time for an Impact Travel experience in the Dominican Republic and Cuba with Fathom, aboard the beautiful Adonia.

My last blog post of our second Fathom cruise hadn’t even been written when we both agreed we had to return one last time.

We couldn’t wait to go back to see our new Cuban friends that had become a part of us.

Coming up next: SANTIAGO DE CUBA: OUR REUNION WITH BENI, EDUARDO, AND GRISEL

LIFE ABOARD FATHOM ADONIA

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

The second time around, we thoroughly enjoyed our free balcony upgrade aboard Fathom’s Adonia. Being upgraded to a room with a large window for our first cruise was wonderful, but being able to enjoy this calm, serene view was pure bliss on our first full day at sea:

This time, there was also a Cuban band on board to entertain us. They were actually based out of Miami, but they were indeed Cuban, and the music they played was fun to listen to while relaxing at the pool or in the lounge.

We even had a lot to watch during their performances. This little gal brought her hula hoops aboard with her, and she had us all entertained! Check this out: https://youtu.be/XGkpk8CP740

Even with several college students aboard ship during spring break, the vibe was very low key and relaxed among the passengers. Nobody was visibly drunk or wild, and everybody coexisted comfortably for the most part (well, except for our man overboard incident).

What a great cruise it was! After returning home, we heard from the father/daughter duo we met back in January that Vacations to Go dropped the price to $299 for some of the upcoming Cuba/ Dominican Republic cruises; so, Bruce twisted my arm (ha!) to book once again for the one available week we have before the ship returns post-lease to Europe. It’s the same cruise our father/daughter friends will be on with big brother and Mom, so we are excited to have an onboard reunion with them!

Our new friends at Chocal are in for (another!) big surprise when we show up again, especially when we give them another box of ear plugs, along with a stack of photo note cards I made from the photos you saw in my last post.

Meanwhile, our Cuban friend, Beni, and I have had e-mails flying back and forth almost daily; so, he’s excited for our return. We will see him on his birthday; and, we plan to take Beni out to lunch along with Eduardo (the glass artist) and his wife. Beni is also going to take us to meet his daughters, son, and grandkids. We have compiled a care package for all of them, and I loaded up a flash drive with music, the video of him singing “Dock of the Bay” with Bruce, as well as pictures I shot of Cuba, my community in Georgia, and Bruce’s glass work. We are thrilled and grateful to be able to return aboard Fathom’s Adonia once again!

Our first aboard Fathom Adonia on this cruise: Man overboard, a female captain (and rescue boat pilot), going to cuba, and having a balcony.

Interesting art work drawn on the walls of the top deck aboard FAthom

Fathom Adonia returns to Miami

OUR NEW CUBAN FRIEND “BENI”

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Beni

We quickly learned that our new friend Dilvenis (he preferred to be called “Beni”) loved American music (especially Blues), so we clicked with each other immediately! Beni excitedly said, “You know who my favorite is, it’s Otis Redding! Look! It gives me goose bumps just thinking about him!” Sure enough, he showed us his arm, and it was covered in goose bumps! I replied, “You know all the words to ‘Dock of the Bay’ Bruce; so, how about you, Beni? Do you know the words?” Beni replied yes, so I said, “Hit it! Sing it, boys!!” And, here it goes, such as it is: https://youtu.be/gXNdiCOk9vU .

Beni told us about all the concerts he had seen when he was in New Zealand: Bruce Springsteen, Little River Band, James Brown, and more. “You were in New Zealand?” I wanted to know more.

While working as a bartender in a local restaurant, Beni met a woman from New Zealand and was able to get a visa to go visit her in 2004. He stayed for nine months, and then returned again on another visit for six months. While there, he got a New Zealand driver’s license and still carries it in his wallet. He was proud to show me his license from my favorite country.

We chatted about all of the gorgeous places we had each seen in New Zealand, and some of the work he did there. He was an extra in the movie, “King Kong” and worked at Miramar Studios. (I was sure there were plenty more stories to hear about that!)

Unfortunately, the romance with his Kiwi girlfriend didn’t last, nor did his days as a movie star (well, make that an “extra”).

After hearing about his experiences in New Zealand, the conversation returned to music. I told Beni I would send him music from some of his favorites if he gave me his address, so we exchanged contact info. and agreed to keep in touch.

Since returning home more than a week ago, Beni and I have sent e-mails back and forth almost every day. We have learned more about his musical tastes, and his life in Cuba as a bartender, cook, and soon-to-be pastor. (He just took the exam and will receive the results soon.)

Although Beni has written some of his messages in English, he finds it easier to write his more involved e-mails in Spanish. Thank goodness for Google Translate! I copy and paste into Google’s free online tool, and it immediately translates the message into English. It doesn’t always make perfect sense, but I am able to understand it for the most part.

In turn, I write in English, and then I copy my message into Google Translate to convert it into Spanish. I include both the English and Spanish in each of my messages back to Beni. So far so good!

In one of his messages, Beni signed off with, “Big bear hugs to you and Bruce!” That made my day…

This is what I have learned about Beni’s life:

He was born in the Sierra Maestra Mountain chain in Granma Province and is the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. His family fought against Batista’s corrupt and repressive dictatorship during the 1950’s.

Growing up, he listened to English and American music by Paul Anka, The Beatles, James Brown, Elvis, and others.

Beni has two daughters (30 and 31 years old), and a twenty-year-old son, but he described himself in one e-mail as a “lonely man”.

One thing that struck me warmly in one of his e-mails was this: “If some friend wants to write me I am open to meet and make friends. It’s time to tear down the walls and build bridges. Do not be afraid to introduce me to more people.”

“It’s time to tear down the walls and build bridges.” There is so much I can say about that, given our current state of governmental affairs here in the U.S.A.! He is absolutely right, and that is why the former administration loosened restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba. How sad we now have a president who wants to build walls and tear down bridges…

Overwhelmingly, the feeling we got speaking with Cubans was they were eager to make friends with Americans and felt warmly about us as people, regardless of how our governments feel about each other. We (and everybody we talked with aboard Fathom Adonia) agreed that we feel the same way about the Cubans. They are such warm and friendly people! It is not them we despise; it is their repressive government. Will Raul Castro be better for the Cuban people than Fidel was? He is Fidel’s brother; however, I am at least optimistic that he and President Obama were able to come to some promising agreements. We’ll see what the future holds between Castro and Trump.

What I do know is that Bruce and I plan on taking a land tour of Cuba in the future to see more of the country and meet more of its people. Until then, Beni and Bruce will be groovin’ through the years at the “Dock of the Bay”.

Scenes from Santiago de Cuba:

This is Hector, a wood carver and painter. We bought this sculpture as well as one of a couple dancing.

Two American 1950’s era cars were parked near our ship.

Looking back at Santiago de Cuba as we sailed away.

I spotted this man from the 9th deck of the ship and was able to capture him with a fully zoomed-in lens while we were cruising by.

This family came to watch us sail away. They were sure having a good time!

San Pedro de la Roca del Morro (Castle)

Coming up next: OUR HAPPY RETURN TO CHOCAL

MAKING FRIENDS IN CUBA

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

When we left the port for a walk through the streets of Santiago de Cuba, we hoped we would meet some locals we could converse with in English, since our Spanish is extremely limited.

A large center for artisans caught our eye as a first stop, because I had also hoped to bring back a small wood handicraft to add to my international collection from my travels. Surprisingly, in addition to woodcraft, we also spotted a glass artist who did torch work to create glass figurines.

Although Eduardo didn’t speak English, his assistant, Grisel, spoke enough to communicate with us and translate to Eduardo. We conveyed that Bruce was also a glass artist, and I showed them my earrings that Bruce had made for me. The two men talked “shop”, and a bond was formed.

After a long conversation, we wished them our best and thought we would continue on our way to Cespedes Park where the cathedral was located. Eduardo turned and grabbed a glass globe containing a purple flower from his display shelf and insisted on having Grisel wrap it up as a gift for us. We insisted on paying, but they wouldn’t allow it. Instead, we asked Grisel what her favorite color was, so we could send her one of Bruce’s fused glass bracelets. Business card in hand, we were on our way, amazed at what had just transpired.

Eduardo_Izquierdo_Calzado&Bruce

On average, Cubans earn the equivalent of a mere $20-$40 per month. (Actually, their new currency, the Cuban Convertible Peso, CUC, is worth about $1.) The fact they wanted to give us a “present” (as she insisted) spoke to what our interaction with them meant. They were so pleased to learn we were Americans, too; and, it warmed my heart there was still somebody in the world who liked Americans. I truly believe that won’t be the case in the coming years…

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During other interactions with the locals who spoke English, we were pleased at the overwhelmingly pro-American sentiments expressed to us. I was thankful we visited Cuba so early in Trump’s presidency.

After listening to a violinist in Cespedes Park (the town square), we climbed the stairs and peeked into the cathedral. More enjoyable, though, was watching the bustling streets below us. A few 1950’s-era American cars drove past, and well-dressed students in their crisp blue uniforms walked by with their backpacks. (Later in the week, in the Dominican Republic, I would learn just how hard the word “backpack” would be for a Spanish-speaking woman to pronounce in English!)

Fidel Castro gave his first speech from this balcony in 1959.

The first building on the left was built in 1519.

Along our stroll through the streets of the city center, we came across a small town square where an unusual band was performing for tips. The featured instrument was a 1950’s hand-cranked organ, unlike anything we had ever seen before. When I gave the musician a big smile and a curious look, he responded in kind and was pleased I wanted to photograph his band. The music they played was fabulous, so I shot this clip: https://youtu.be/rvc7L25oIgg .

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We enjoyed strolling along the pedestrian street and watching the people go about their day. Although I am not much of a shopper back at home, I am always curious to poke into local shops when I am traveling, just to see what the locals buy and sell; and, at what price.

Playing dominoes is a favorite pastime in Cuba, so we paused to watch a couple of games being played in the small city parks.

Before making our way back towards the ship, we allowed plenty of time to return to Eduardo’s shop to buy them a cold drink and say a final goodbye. Eduardo had left for a meeting, but we treated his wife to a cola and promised to send one of Bruce’s glass bracelets when we returned home.

In the same artisan’s complex, we stopped to look at some other shops and came across a friendly man who spoke English. He asked, “Where are you from?” When we replied that we were from the United States, he grinned and asked if he could practice his English with us. The extroverted man said he didn’t want anything from us, but did we have time to just have a conversation?

Well, that is exactly what we had hoped for when we stepped foot on Cuban soil…

Next up: OUR NEW CUBAN FRIEND “BENI”

SANTIAGO DE CUBA: CUBA’S SECOND LARGEST CITY

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Knowing we would be in Cuba for only one day on this cruise, Bruce and I weighed the advantages and disadvantages of taking a ship-sponsored excursion versus going it alone as a self-guided people-to-people experience.

Fathom’s website states: “Self-Directed People-to-People activities include educational activities that are intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba and/or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities. Travelers who elect to forego the Fathom sponsored Immersion Activities will be responsible for adhering to a full-time schedule of activities from an authorized category (e.g. educational, religious activities, humanitarian projects, family visits) and maintaining their own records demonstrating compliance with OFAC requirements.

Travelers opting to engage in a self-directed P2P program or relying on one of the other travel authorizations will not be monitored by Fathom and are required to maintain records related to the authorized travel activities for a period of five years (a copy of your travel affidavit and documentation evidencing the activities that you participated in while in Cuba).”

Really? We must keep these records for five years? Is a U.S. government official going to come pounding on my front door in a few years demanding to see these documents? If I don’t produce them, will I get thrown in jail?

Of course, I wouldn’t trust anything our current president and administration does over the next four years, but I think this and the following blog post and my photos will suffice as evidence of my activities. I even have a “people-to-people” video as proof! More on that in my next post…

In the end, neither of us could fathom (no pun intended) the idea of being herded onto a bus with 40 other passengers and spending half the time just trying to get on and off the darn thing. Besides, how much contact would we really have with the locals if we are being shepherded from place to place? Sure, we would see more, but what Bruce and I really wanted to do was just meet and converse with Cubans. The seeing would have to wait until a return trip to Cuba—that is, if our current regime will permit it in the future…

Before the cruise, I had done research on all the places to visit in Santiago de Cuba. I even printed off a map and highlighted San Pedro de la Roca del Morro (castle), Cepspedes Park, and Santa Ifigenia Cemetary where Fidel Castro was laid to rest. We were going to hire a taxi and see them all! Not.

Instead, I showed the map to one of the Impact Travel staff aboard ship and asked her to highlight where we should head out on foot. Both streets she recommended were located directly across from the port, and one of them was strictly for pedestrians. Perfect!

After passing four armed guards stationed throughout the customs terminal with Springer Spaniel sniffing dogs in tow, we insisted on having our passports stamped (The dedicated passport stamper was lazy and would only stamp it if you asked), and cleared the gauntlet.

As poor as Cuba is, and as poor of a city Santiago de Cuba appeared to be, we did not see any poverty in the streets. The poverty rate in Cuba is only 5% (compared to about 14.5% in the U.S.A.), so nobody appeared to be starving or in bad condition.

During the day, we stopped into a few stores to see what was being sold and for what price. These sodas were .60 CUC each (about US $0.60). They were delicious!

A gallon of milk costs about 7.00 CUC, and a can of sardines was 1.75. A bottle of shampoo averaged 5.00. Toothbrushes cost about .75-1.00, and a small sofa would set you back 250 CUC.

On the surface, the prices in many respects were similar to ours; HOWEVER, when you think about their average monthly pay (about $1/day), it takes a full day of work to pay for one toothbrush! Two days of work will pay for one hour of internet access from a desktop computer at an internet café.

The supermercado (super market) wasn’t all that super, either. Entire six-foot long shelf units displayed just one item, such as identical large plastic bottle of cooking oil. Would you like to buy some crackers? You have perhaps three varieties from which to choose. Chocolate? I was shown either chocolate spread or chocolate drink as my choices to purchase. I would never survive…

Cubans receive food subsidies, so at least they don’t have to spend all of their hard-earned money on what little variety they find for groceries. In addition, Cubans receive free telephone service, free health care, and medicine is priced the lowest in the world. Housing and extremely low-priced utilities are highly subsidized, and there are no taxes on public jobs (which account for 75-90% of the jobs, since there are very few self-employed people). Education is a high priority in Cuba, so it is free.

If it sounds like I am pro-Communist, I assure you, I am NOT.

This is the sad economic fact in Cuba: According to Encyclopedia.com, Cuba’s economic freedom score was 28.7 (in 2014), making its economy one of the world’s least free. As an entrepreneur who created and ran a successful computer-related services business for twelve years, has also enjoyed a small hobby business creating and selling photo notecards for over thirty years, and is currently (and happily!) running my husband’s successful art glass jewelry hobby business; I am definitely all about economic freedom!

I also all believe strongly in the first amendment and being able to speak out against our current government without fear of being thrown in jail, beaten, or worse (at least for now). That wasn’t the case for Cubans in Fidel Castro’s Cuba. It remains to be seen what the future brings…

Coming up next: MAKING FRIENDS IN CUBA

Meanwhile, here are a few scenes around Santiago de Cuba. There are MANY more photos to come in my next post!

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MAN OVERBOARD!

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

As the Adonia sailed south towards Cuba on March 13, 2017, Bruce and I enjoyed a typical sea day for us: a workout in the gym, dining al fresco on the aft deck, attending lectures and workshops, and walking up on deck. It was a beautiful day, and the sea was like glass. It was so calm that I was able to do difficult yoga balance poses in the gym without so much as a wobble.

After attending an afternoon lecture about the history of Cuba, Bruce and I were ready for a walk in the fresh air; so, we made our way upstairs. As we walked past the card room and spa, we heard loud yelling in the hallway. A crowd gathered around a young, college-aged man who was yelling obscenities and sounding very incoherent. Just as I said to Bruce we needed to get security, a woman in the crowd said security had already been called. Just as two crew members from the pool area came in and also stated security was on the way, the extremely agitated passenger bolted, stumbling as he ran to the starboard side of the ship.

It was only moments after we continued out to the pool deck that the ship’s horn blasted, and the officer of the watch announced, “Man overboard! Man overboard!!” Crew members darted around us, grabbed life rings hanging from the railings, and tossed them overboard. We saw several flying into the sea.

I turned to Bruce and said, it’s HIM! That guy jumped!!

A flare was shot out in the direction of where the young man had jumped overboard from the spa area of the 9^th deck into the sea below. The ship abruptly changed course to circle back; a rescue operation was underway.

As we watched from the walking track of the 10^th deck, we could see life rings float away, orange smoke pouring out of the flare, and a head bobbing in the sea. Meanwhile, the crew lowered one of Adonia’s rescue boats and sped off with a pilot and two crew.

When their boat approached the bobbing head, the jumper started to swim away in the opposite direction! He was alive, and he survived the jump! From the 9^th deck, the only way anybody could survive that far of a water landing would be to enter vertically. A flat landing would result in death, we speculated.

What amazed us is that the jumper didn’t want to be rescued. It took several attempts of circling back until the crew was finally able to get ahold of his shoulders and drag him into the boat. Then, one of the crew had to hold the agitated man down.

As the rescue boat returned to the ship, we were watching the scene unfold right under us. The rescued man was rambling incoherently and making it very difficult for the crew to transfer him to the ship.

When he was finally safe onboard, the passengers erupted in a loud applause. The rescue operation was a success!

Although a couple of the passengers who witnessed the entire event unfold from the very beginning told us the content of the young man’s rants, and other passengers provided details of his identity and behavior previously that day, I have omitted this information as a matter of privacy. In addition, I have whited out the man’s face in the photos.

I am proud to reveal, however, that our ship’s captain was a British woman, and the pilot of the rescue boat was also a woman. Congratulations to both of them and the entire crew of the Adonia for a job well done! If there was one consistent opinion we heard expressed from other passengers about the shocking event that unfolded during our (previously) peaceful day at sea was that the crew could not have done a more excellent job!

Later, we were informed by the captain that the jumper was being held in the medical center for observation, and he was sent to a hospital in Cuba the following day when the ship arrived in Santiago de Cuba. He and his parents did not return…

Next up: Santiago de Cuba: Cuba’s Second Largest City

PUERTO PLATA AND AMBER COVE

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

The last time I was in the Dominican Republic was the summer of 1977 when I was fifteen years old and getting ready to enter the 11^th grade of high school. It still boggles my mind to think that was forty(!) years ago. How can that be? I don’t even feel forty years old!

That summer of 1977, my parents took us four kids on a cruise aboard NCL’s MS Skyward. It was our first (and only) cruise as a family, and it was my first time out of the country.

That’s me with our tour guide in Puerto Plata, 40 years ago at the age of 15 (with a little more hair, and a few more pounds on my frame).

I was curious to see if I would remember any of Puerto Plata, and Bruce had never been there before. Not knowing what to spend our Vacations to Go shipboard credit on, we decided to take a Fathom excursion, “Best of Puerto Plata,” on our free afternoon in the DR.

The great thing about historical sites is they don’t change. I was sure to recognize Fort San Felipe since it was built 1564-1577! I did (sort of) remember it. Here is what it looked like from the eyes of a fifty-five-year-old:

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We also visited the Brugal Rum Factory. Unfortunately, the factory was closed for the day, so we didn’t get to see it in action.

Here are more scenes from Puerto Plata:

Plaza Independencia

Back at the port, Amber Cove was bustling when Carnival or Holland America shared the pier with Fathom’s Adonia and increased the tourist population by thousands. A well-designed port with a variety of recreational activities covering 25 acres, Carnival Cruises sunk $90 million dollars into the facility and opened it for their ten cruises lines’ ships in 2015.

Amber Cove features a gorgeous meandering pool that is free to use, and other activities for a charge, including: zipline, kayak and other watersport rentals, and cabana rentals. There is also a restaurant, bars, and a shopping village.

I had my eye on the pool, so I spent one late afternoon swimming while Bruce kicked back on a lounger.

Shopping options included a mercado with local handicrafts, so I picked up this purse made from coconut palms for Melody back in Vero Beach. For me, I added to my chocolate label collection by picking up a couple of chocolate bars produced by one of Chocal’s competitors. Shhh!

We were impressed with Amber Cove. It was a beautiful place to relax and enjoy during our free time in Puerto Plata!

Next up: It’s a Wrap: Fathom’s Impact on the Dominican Republic

RECYCLING PAPER WITH REPAPEL

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

When Bruce and I first committed to traveling to the Dominican Republic (the DR) aboard the Adonia and participating in Fathom’s Impact Travel program, our vision was locked on Chocal. Volunteering at the cacao plantation and chocolate factory was what I had my heart set on, and Bruce was pleased with the plan.

Once aboard ship, though, our cohort leader, Colin, persuasively talked us into signing up to volunteer at the paper recycling co-op. RePapel is a women’s entrepreneurship initiative which turns wasted paper from the local community into recycled paper products that are sold to consumers.

We told Colin there was no way we would give up one of our Chocal activities, though, and RePapel was booked solid for our only available time—the Friday morning before the Adonia would set sail for her return to Miami. Sitting at 7^th and 8^th on the waitlist didn’t look promising; so, we opted on Friday to see if there were some no shows out at the RePapel bus.

As it turned out, we were in luck! A lady on our Chocal bus the previous day overheard us talking about our plan. At breakfast on Friday morning, she came over to our table to say her husband didn’t want to go; so, she wouldn’t go either. Would we like her tickets? Heck yeah!

Off we went to RePapel where we would help produce paper beads for jewelry and recycled paper for handicrafts to be sold by the women.

By working with the women of RePapel, we would help the ladies generate more income for their families. The co-op allows for flexible work schedules, so the women can spend more time at home caring for their children. Fathom’s website states, “Unemployed or underemployed local residents are able to transition to self-supporting entrepreneurs, proving that community-driven economic initiatives empower and sustain communities.”

Upon arrival at RePapel, we could hear the ladies singing. Our group of volunteers broke out in big smiles, looked at each other, and laughed. These ladies were having FUN! They were very happy to see us and gave us a warm welcome, as we made our way to the courtyard where we were split up into small groups.

Bruce and I were first sent to the jewelry workshop where we used strips of colorful paper that had been torn out from discarded magazines. We were shown how to make paper beads; however, Bruce and I were old pros at this task, since we had taught the handicraft in arts and crafts classes aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line cruises.

Next, we were given a piece of cord to string a necklace from the paper beads and a variety of other beads made from dried tree seeds. These necklaces would be sold in their gift shop. Time was quite limited at this station, so I quickly assembled this necklace before our group was transferred to the paper recycling station:

The first step in this process is separating the clean portions of used paper from the portions with ink. We sat on the patio in a circle with one of the ladies while we tore sheets of the paper apart to separate these portions into different bins. While we worked, our guide answered questions about life in the DR.

The next step in their paper recycling process was to mix the small bits of torn paper with water in a washing machine to begin breaking down the fibers in the paper.

The wet, pulpy mixture is then scooped out of the machine and dumped in a blender (yes, the same kind you have at home to make your smoothies) to further break apart the fibers.

The fun part in the process came next. We were given a wooden-framed screen to use as a sifter to extract the cleaned recycled paper pulp from a huge sink where it was dumped from the blender. We then took it over to a table where we turned the screen over onto a piece of cardboard, pressed the screen, and then carefully lifted the screen off the wet paper. The newly-created paper was transferred to the cardboard to dry on racks out in the sun.

Once the paper is dried, it is removed from the cardboard and stacked onto another table. Here, used roll-on deodorant bottles get a second life as a manual “iron” to smooth out the screen pattern marks and wrinkles in the paper. This required some muscle—a great dryland workout to keep my swimmers’ shoulders and arms in shape!

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These sheets of paper were ready for the women to make stationary, greeting cards, and other handicrafts for sale. I bought a five-pack of some cute little greeting cards with matching envelopes.

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The entire time we worked side-by-side with the ladies, they sang and danced. From what I read from another blog, this isn’t their usual workday routine. When the Fathom volunteers come to help (for a couple of days every other week), though, they are just so happy to have us there!

Bruce and I were happy to be there to help these entrepreneurial women, and we were thankful we had the opportunity to do one last Impact Travel activity before the ship set sail for home.

The following are scenes from the neighborhood around RePapel:

Just outside of the co-op where they were drying work gloves and clothes out in the sun.

I photographed this cute little barbershop from the bus window.

Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools… and CHOCOLATE!

Tag Archives: Adonia

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