After months of intrigue about what those motor yachts are like inside, Louis and I were invited for Happy Hour and a hot tub aboard "Milk and Honey" by the captain & crew we'd spent the day with on our tour. Herb, the captain, poured us tastes of a few Pinots he had on board, and as Louis was extolling the virtues of one of them, he proceeded to step off of the main floor of the galley and tumble down the stairway, somehow managing to stay on his feet at each step, hands wildly flailing about all the while, spraying the white walls of this 17-million-dollar yacht with red wine. Ooops.

Ever gracious, Herb got some towels out of 1 of the 3 Miele dryers on board, and we cleaned up the streaks and puddles of wine, ate some pizza that the chef and crew had prepared, got the grand tour, and witnessed a "drum exchange" between Marcel, 1st mate and lifelong musican and Martin, our Dominican guide who had stopped by. They each had a djembe-style drum and decided to exchange them. John, the ship's engineer, brought out an electric dremel and Martin carved his initials into the drum he was giving to Marcel. Very cool! Louis and I stayed til midnight or so drinking a few too many bottles of wine sitting in the 104-degree hot tub with Marcel and John, 2 of the very fun, engaging crew on yacht.

Unfortunately, Louis sprained his foot in the process, so we can't go on the 6-hour hike to "The Boiling Lake" that we've heard so much about, and possibly he/we will have to forego taking kiteboarding lessons in Los Roques, our next destination. That guy will do anything to get out of hiking!

The next night we were invited back to Milk and Honey to play music and hang out. Martin also came by, and he, Louis and Marcel played a bit. Another fun night, more red wine, and even some Veuve Cliquot champagne.

What a life... click to see a tour of "Milk and Honey"