May 22, 2015 
After another early start(and youโve guessed it) a bacon roll, we headed off the ship. The shore excursion lady was at the bottom of the gangway steps, and she showed us where to join the queue. Well i say queue, there were only about 8 of us in total. I thought โI think we may have over reached on this one. Maybe itโs going to be too difficult, and really not suited for the blindโ.ย
We were then led towards the minibus. We were told theyโd saved us the 2 seats in the front next to the driver, i said โSweetโ, and climbed aboard. I really didnโt expect what happened nextโฆthe driver turned on his CD player which started playing Ed Sheeran โThinking out loudโ and he started singing as i tapped away on my legs to the beat. His voice was incredible, it was like we were having our own concert in the front of the minibus, whilst driving around paradise. ย Quite a surreal moment. After more fantastic singing toย Tarrus Rileyโs ย “She’s Royalโ, he pulled up at Fort James Beach where we were to start our horseback trek.
Welcome to Paradise…
We left the minibus and were instantly greeted with a stunning view of porcelain palm fringed sands, and stilted turquoise waters of Fort James beach, also we received a further warm welcome by the โHorseman(sorry, i forgot his name)โ. ๐ย
ย โง The horseman strolling along the beautiful beach โง ย
โง Horses being led to the sea to cool off โง ย
The Horse Ride…
Once everyone was fitted with a protective hat, it was time to line up and meet the horses. He asked for experienced riders first, then one at a time they mounted the horses. It was about this time i started to get a little nervous. I was saying to Sarah โHow do we get up there? Are there steps? Which foot do i put forward first? Are the horses big enough to carry me?โ
The horseman was out of earshot, but i think he could see my face, he said โDonโt worry, i have a couple of special horses for you twoโ. This put my mind a little more at ease. Sarah mounted first on the horse named โSunshineโ, what a perfect horse for her! ๐ Then i mounted easily with the excellent help from horseman onto the horse named โLittle Manโ,ย
After a short tutorial on how to hold(and use) the reins, it was time to move on out! We had only walked along next to a road for about a minute, and iโd just got used to the weird motion of rocking side to side whilst not being able to see the ground or the horse in front. When…a huge commotionโฆLots of shouting from horseman, and the horses. I thought(at first) it sounded like a car had hit one of the horses. I pulled back on the reins as i saw Sarah(who was in front of me) appear at my side, Yay my horse stopped! ๐ We found out at the end, that a car got too close and spooked a few of the horses, so no one(or horses) were hurt.
My plan was to take my Samsung WB550 compact camera with me to take photos & video whilst on the horse, but that was soon foiled when i got onto the horse, and my shorts were pulled tight around my pocket, so it had seal it shut. I didnโt want to try and move, as i thought the horse might mistaken my movements and start galloping off!. I did eventually get an opportunity when my foot suddenly got smacked out of the stirrup by an aloe vera plant(it got a few of us), and as my leg was free i quickly grabbed my camera! ๐ Note to self, next time take my other camera with a neck strap! ๐ย
The horseman who was overseeing us said โWelcome to Sandhaven Beachโ…
โง โLittle Manโ taking me on a beautiful journey ๐ โงย
โง Sarah on โSunshineโ & in sunshine, along Sandhaven beach โงย
โง Sarah ensconced in Sunshine! ๐ โงย
Words completely fail me when i try and describe the feeling of riding in paradise. The sound of the waves, the feel of the hot sun with the cool breeze, the movement(and sound) of the horse, topped off with the amazing panorama. We really didnโt want to leave our new fave place on earth!! ๐ย
We left Sandhaven beach and headed back to Fort James beach. Weโd been riding for around 1ยฝ hours, and just before we finished, the man asked for my cameras so he could take a photo of us on our horses.
My horse โlittle Manโ was busy eating grass, i think he had my appetite! ๐ย
ย โง โLittle Man & โSunshineโ โงย
Once off the horses, we were given a bottle of water each as they prepared for stage 2. Stage 2 gave the chance for the experienced riders to ride faster(or gallop as iโm told), and the chance to ride bareback into the water. Sarah and another lady paired up together to do this.ย
Sarah said โI was sat trying to balance without a saddle, when suddenly i was thrown back as one of my legs was pulled up. I looked down to see that the horse had taken a liking to one of my bright yellow laces, and was pulling on it as though it was spaghetti! ๐ย
Once stage 2 was over, we had about 45 minutes before the singing taxi arrived. โNo way, does this mean you get to swim in paradise again?!โ i said as Sarah was already half way down the beach!! ๐ย
The Swim…
โง Sarah excited to be the only one in the beautiful sea โง ย
โง What a way to relax! ๐ โง ย
ย โง I think Sarah enjoyed her swim! ๐ โงย
The taxi ride was just as fun. The drivers stunning voice carried us all the way back to the ship.
ย Back on the ship…
We now had to say goodbye to the Caribbean. ๐ฆ We took our usual sofaโs in the coffee port, and with coffeeโs in hand, we watched the island slowly disappear.ย We both agreed that this was our fave place of the trip, and the horse ride was our best experience so far!!
Our new friend…
On returning to our cabin, the steward had created a folded towel turtle, and used my hat as the shell, fantastic!! ย ๐ย
Our Route 4 2day…
This afternoon Thomson Dream sails to Horta, Portugal, weโll arrive on Sunday late morning, after 5 leisurely days at sea. having travelled 2,173 nautical miles, at an average speed of 16 knots.
โ Previous Day – Next Day โย
๐ดย Day Navigatorย ๐ด
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โYou donโt need sight to see, you need vision”
iChristian 
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