March 30, 2010 Jamestown, St. Helena, UK
The exchange rate $1 equals .62 Pound.
St. Helena is an island of volcanic origin & is a UK territory. The island was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502 and is about 12 by 7 miles and has a population of 4255 (2008 census) which is about the QM2 has with staff & passengers. This was where Napoleon Bonaparte was last exiled & first buried. A tender was needed to get ashore. Since there was only one place to dock, it took more time to get passengers to shore. Staff was not allowed off to allow the passengers to have more time. We first went to a distillery & tasted 3 small samples. Next we started up Jacob’s Ladder. We did approximately 300 of the 699 steps before deciding to save our legs & retreated back down. We then walked around the quaint town that resembled an early settlement. Jan bought post cards & mailed them at their post office. We’ll probably be home before the mail since the mail ship (no airport) only comes every 3 or 4 days. We also visited the museum, church, and some shops. At night Rondell Sheridan, a comedian, was one the entertainers we’ve had. In a few days we’ll be on the QM2 for 6 months out of the last 15.
We’ll arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil approximately 5:00A.M. Saturday (4:00 A.M EDT).