Another day at another beautiful port: St. John on the island of Antigua. But Irma left her mark in 2017, destroying infrastructure, housing, basic needs. So you see a truck with pumpkins that also serves as a primecare doctor’s checkup point, the local hospital still closed…..

We walk around the local markets, avoiding the meat and the fish buildings, because the smell is just a little too much. Market means people sitting at the side of the road selling something: plantains or coconuts, another person sells bananas and avocados, or just garlic, etc. Sometimes the market booth is a table, the bed of a pickup truck or just a piece of tarp on the ground. Very basic. We don’t have any temptations to buy any food, the hygiene police in my head is ringing all alarm bells.

And we’re not allowed to bring any food onto the ship anyway. They have a very strict policy, not only here, but on any cruise we’ve taken and any port we’ve been. No food or drink can leave the ship and no food or drink can be taken onto the ship. And still, when I got back on board today, a group of 3 young adults tried to bring a whole bag of fruit onboard, being surprised that they were not allowed to do so. Once we saw a guy who tried to bring a whole big birthday cake onboard and they didn’t allow it. But that was last year in Sicily. Different cruise, same story…..