A Duck Boat Ride in Grand Turk

Our port for the day was Grand Turk, an island in the country of Turks and Caicos. We didn't have a tour until the afternoon, so we puttered around on board. The crew were having a towel animal demonstration in the Piazza.

I liked the angry bird on the left...

And this elephant...

The crew were having a great time. Nice to see them having fun!

The swan almost got the choke hold...

We stopped into trivia with a cappuccino...

The view from the front of the ship on the TV...it looked like a long pier!

Once again, this was our view while in port...another cruise ship. There were lots of people getting off and heading to the terminal.

The last time smiley dude will give us the port info...

The ships and the long pier!

This was a nice area to wait for our tour, but maybe it could use some more shade. It was really hot, but it was cool in the stores...there's a method to their madness! The umbrellas were mostly for the tour operators. 

Full tourist mode today! I have wanted to go in one of these trucks/boats for ages. 

The stairs to get on board...I could see why they did give a mobility warning with the tour information.

And we were off...from the beginning it was evident how much our guide loved his island. The Complaints Commission building...we had no complaints.

The Magistrates' Court...I was sensing a theme here. Most of the newer, fresher buildings were government ones.

Grand Turk was long known for producing salt. They had several natural, shallow inland depressions, called salinas, which filled with salt water directly from the sea or from the underlying rock. From 1678 to 1964, they subsided almost entirely from the salt trade.

Our tour continued downtown, but not downtown New York, as our guide said. Although most hurricanes in recent years have caused little damage, Hurricane Irma in 2017, followed by Hurricane Maria two weeks later, caused major damage. Some areas have been slow to recover.

The Office of the Premier and House of Assembly was completely rebuilt after the hurricanes in 2017.

St. Mary's Anglican church...one of many churches in Grand Turk.

Our guide had a story for every building, but I lost track after a while. 

Patience with tourists is required as this golf cart came down the street towards us going the wrong way. Oops!

An interesting tricycle...

The museum which documents the rise and fall of the salt trade.

As always, the required tourist stop...an expensive jewelry store. I did wander in and back out...

And instead purchased a mango ice cream from a lady on the street.

And bracelets from the kids...

Our driver and his assistant...it was his job to lower and raise the heavy stairs at each stop.

The West Road area with a creek on one side and the ocean on the other.

There were many stories about places that were built and then abandoned after the hurricanes. 

There were some affluent areas...

There are a few abandoned boats...

We headed down this path...

And drove into the water! 

Another large dwelling that had a story...I wish I could remember them all!

Big fun!

Another abandoned boat/barge...

Our boat ride was over as we drove out of the water...

Past yet another abandoned boat...

Another abandoned building with another story...at least this one looked like it wasn't totally deserted.

Loved the beautiful strip of turquoise water...

These homes were definitely not abandoned...

Our last stop was at the Grand Turk lighthouse...

There was an entry fee and a gift shop, so we opted to stay on board. 

We watched the donkeys appear. They definitely know what tourists are. 

Super friendly and they apparently love cookies...

Dude looks like he was heading home after a hard day at the office...

James "Jags" McCartney was the first Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos, but died in a plane crash at the age of 34.

The high school that our guide proudly attended...

Heading back to the ship...

This was weird...our ship in the water appeared to be higher than we were.

Back home again...

Lots of golf carts and jeeps available for touring...

And the long walk back to the ship. The other ship had already departed.

Beautiful waters...

And because the other ship was already gone, we had a great view of the beach as we sailed away.

Everything packed up and cleaned up, ready for the next ship to visit.

A nice refreshing drink...

We didn't plan to attend this trivia, but there was an empty table, and it was always fun to watch. It turned out to be one side of the room against the other.

And involved dancing...

Go, Jim!

Our lovely cruise was coming to an end. A sea day tomorrow and then we would be back in Fort Lauderdale for the drive home.