Having explored much of the Caribbean but not yet the ABC's (Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao) - I opted to take a week long late summer trip to Aruba. The weather on the island is certainly highly appealing with usually fairly constant temperatures moderated by trade winds, little rain on an annual basis, lots of sunshine and is located outside of the hurricane belt. Although I did have to reroute my original return flight plan which was through Houston … [Read more...]
Three Memorable Experiences on St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Young Island Young Island is home to a private resort that is located a very short boat ride from the 'mainland'. Once you arrive you are treated to beautiful views from the private beach. A bar floats slightly off shore. Several tables set back from the beach among the gardens are ideal spots to enjoy a buffet lunch with paired with some sort of tropical drink. Passion fruit rum perhaps. Best activity after lunch - do nothing and enjoy … [Read more...]
A Day on Tiny Grand Turk
The giant cruise ships disembark on the southern side of Grand Turk - towering above you like skyscrapers as you walk down the pier. From your balcony on your state deck you are greeted with azure shallow waters and pure white sand beaches. Beyond the aquamarine waters, the sea turns a dark blue - evidence of the edge of the island shelf where the ocean plummets some 7,000 feet straight down to the bottom. A stop here was part of the Holland … [Read more...]
The Contrasts of Travel Experiences
The contrasts of travel create an intriguing dichotomy while on the road. Today is a good example of experiences on the extreme ends of the spectrum. I met a beautiful yoga instructor living on the island of St. Barths last week for about 5 minutes. This was in a "remote" part of that tiny island along the rugged shoreline in what the locals call the 'natural pools', a series of surf fed ocean water that creates several small swimming areas. … [Read more...]
St. Lucia Stopover, ARC Race & Captain Lars
So far my latest trip to the Caribbean has involved a variety of transportation modes, a bicycle, a bus, walking, plane and now a helicopter. In the fading rays of the strong sunshine on the island of st. Lucia I hopped on board a helicopter for a 10 minute journey over the interior of the island from Hewanorra International Airport in the south to George F. L. Charles Airport in Castries City in the north. The interior of the island is … [Read more...]
Undiscovered Dominica, Too Short of a Stay on the Nature Island
After spending four relaxed yet still activity packed days on Dominica I find myself staying in the midst of sprawling apartment complexes on neighboring Guadeloupe in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre. Mere 25 minutes away by small jet, Guadeloupe feels worlds apart. World's away from the unspoiled natural setting and the the pleasant feel of space when you have a low population density (only 72,000 people live on the entire island). Now I am … [Read more...]
Finding a Great Guide in Guadeloupe: Security Guard + Convenience Store
Wandering the streets of Pointe-à-Pitre I thought I would head over to the cruise ship terminal and see if I could hook up with an in English tour (like I successfully did in Martinique). However it was another story here. The only info station I could see was behind the gates of the cruise ship terminal (and without being a passenger on one of the cruise ships I was not allowed entry). I yelled through the gates to attract the attention of the … [Read more...]
St. Kitts Eco Park
As I was driving around the southern part of the island I stumbled into 'little Taiwan', an eco park that is a joint effort between Taiwan and St. Kitts & Nevis. I was told Taiwan requires young men to put in a year of military service - and for those that don't serve in the military, a volunteer position satisfies this requirement. I was met at the entrance by such an individual who was spending his year of service on St. Kitts. Jimmy Wu is … [Read more...]
Cruising into Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
The day dawned clear on the Holland America Line MS Eurodam after the stormy nauseating seas of the past few days. This was a welcome relief visually and for the stomach which has been struggling with all the back and forth rocking. We pulled around the point of the north east part of the island and passed the historical fort. From a distance we could have been pulling into a port in Greece or perhaps the Middle East - the white buildings … [Read more...]
Bouncing from Island to Island in the Caribbean
I began my day in Anguilla, then hopped on a ferry to Sint Marteen and with a few hours to kill between flights I headed over to the nearby Maho Beach for some #planespotting. This is one of the more famous airports because this tiny sliver of sand is situated right next to the edge of the runway - framed on one end by aquamarine waters and landing planes on the other end. I arrived in the late morning - and the beach was fairly empty. I was … [Read more...]