Beautiful by Nature

March 9, 2023

Turk’s Head Cactus

“Beautiful by Nature” is the apt catchphrase chosen by the Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board. The Turks & Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory. The “Turks” part of the name comes from the Turk’s Head Cactus which grows here.

“Caicos” comes from the same indigenous word for islands that gave English the word “cay” and gave the word “cayo” to the Spanish language.

Trivia question: What are natives of the Turks and Caicos Islands called? (Answer at the end)

Our port of call today is Grand Turk, one of the larger islands of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Grand Turk has a gorgeous beach right at the end of the dock, and that is where we plan to go today.

However, it has turned out to be a not-very-nice day. It is fairly windy and a lot of sand is blowing around. We have been here before, and on a nice day, the beach is crowded and lots of umbrellas are up. Not today.

In the early afternoon we go ashore and walk around a bit. There are a few people on the beach, but we just can’t get motivated to go swimming.

Not a lot of beach-goers considering two ships are here and the beach is soooo inviting

While on the ship we decide it is too windy, so we will just go for a walk. When we get to the end of the dock we realize people are swimming now. The crystal-clear water is a stunning color. The sand is soft. It is getting warmer. So tempting. But it would require walking all the way back to our ship, then all the way back to our cabin, to get sun-block, bathing suits, etc. It just seems like too much trouble.

So I take a picture of Ken’s hair in the wind.

These people are actors hired by the Tourist Board. They are pretending it’s not windy and the temperature is comfortable for going into the water.

Late afternoon view from Deck 16: Umbrellas folded up and chairs empty

It’s a very flat island

Tonight is Formal Night and the Captain’s Circle Party. Hardly anyone gets dressed up for Formal Night anymore. Some people hardly bother to put on clean and neat clothes, and some people hardly bother to put on clothes. I never realized how easy it is tell what type of underwear a woman is wearing under a tight dress or tight pants (and even what color). And, you have never seen so many tattoos.

The Captain’s Circle Party is for the Platinum and Elite levels of repeat Princess cruisers. You get a free watered-down cocktail and listen to spiels from the Loyalty Manager, the Future Cruise Sales Manager, the Cruise Director, and the Captain. Then the three “most-traveled passengers” are called up to have a photo with the Captain. “Most-traveled” status is determined by the number of days you have sailed on all of your past Princess Cruises. We were honored to be the 3rd most-traveled passengers on this week’s cruise.

Oh, right. Now you will see that I am not very formal tonight. It is hard to find the right outfits in Alaska. The shopping is limited to Kohl’s, JC Penney’s and mail order. It’s hard to find cruisey, warm-weather clothes in the winter. It’s hard to find clothes for someone my age and my size. I aim for casual chic, and even that can be a daunting goal.

Note: I would like to clarify my previous post about Amber Cove. We only walked around the little shopping village. There really isn’t anything else you can walk to from there. We did not opt for any of the tours. We were in Puerto Plata a year ago and took a very nice full-day tour. There isn’t anything else we want to see here. Most of the tours involve something water-oriented: snorkeling, sailing, etc. Not my thing. The tours tend to be over-priced. Don’t want to spend an hour each way on a bus with possible Covid patients.  Maybe next time.

Trivia Answer:  Belongers

Today’s color can’t be anything but turquoise.