Oct 11, 2011

Named after St Martin of Tours by Christopher Columbus, Sint Maarten/St Martin is administered by both Holland and France. Marigot is in St. Martin on the French side–No border controls – don’t worry. I was in transit and there were no left luggage lockers at Princess Juliana airport, so I decided to hire a taxi for the duration of my

Oct 4, 2011

When I checked in my bag at Port of Spain, I was flying to St. Lucia via Barbados. I was in transit for three hours in Barbados, so I asked for my suitcase to be checked through to St. Lucia. Suffice to say my suitcase didn’t arrive. This applied to eight other passengers too and there was some confusion at LIAT’s lost baggage counter. Remember to

Oct 1, 2011

I flew with LIAT nine times and generally they are a reasonable airline. However, they do some strange things on occasions. On a flight from Barbados to St. Vincent we waited on the ground for 40  minutes for a ‘package’ to arrive from St. Lucia, which didn’t arrive so we took off anyway. On the return flight, we took off 15 minutes

Sep 27, 2011

Willemstad is the capital city of Curacao and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s divided in two by the Santa Ana Bay, a narrow but deep channel that separates the districts of Punda and Otrobanda. These two districts are connected by the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, which swings open when ships wish to enter the harbour. The beautifully coloured

Sep 24, 2011

The concept of the off season has never been prominent in my thoughts until I arrived in Bathsheba on the East coast of Barbados exactly one week before Easter Sunday. I had just flown for 10 hours from Vancouver to Bridgetown via Toronto. I arrived at my hotel around 3:30 p.m. and was told that the restaurant would be closing at 7 p.m., so I would have to place

Sep 21, 2011

(Miami, September 14, 2011) – Oceania Cruises’ Winter Collection, featuring voyages from September 2012 through May 2013, goes on sale today. The exotic cruise schedule includes 21 all-new Grand Voyages ranging from 23 to 71 days, as well as Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises onboard the line’s new 1,250-guest Riviera. With advance booking savings,

Sep 20, 2011

After the strenuous hike to The Boiling Lake what better way to stretch my legs the following day than to visit Middleham Falls and Boeri Lake, which are also within the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.   Middleham Falls are 275 feet high and it takes 45 gentle minutes through the rainforest to reach the viewing platform. I saw yanga palms, anthurium, and

Sep 18, 2011

In addition to the long stretch of Grand Cayman’s western shore that is a popular tourist destination known as Seven Mile Beach, one of the best features of the largest of the three Cayman Islands, (the other two islands are Cayman Brac and Little Cayman), is how close you can get to its land and sea animals. Since Grand Cayman is a British Dependent

Sep 6, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the second blog post in a series about the hike to the Boiling Lake within the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rain makes some of the steps and rocks extremely slippery. I arrived at The Boiling Lake around 11:10 and spent around 30 minutes eating my lunch. Suddenly my guide,

Sep 3, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the first blog post in a series about the hike to the Boiling Lake within the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.   The first question I asked myself when I thought about doing this six-hour hike was whether I was fit enough. I decided I was, as I ran four times a week for about 40

Aug 30, 2011

At Barbados airport, the fares to the various island destinations are posted on a board outside the arrivals area. I made sure that my taxi driver knew the fare to my destination and whether I would be paying him in US or East Caribbean dollars. From Melville Hall in Dominica the fare to Roseau, the capital, is US$50 for the 1.5 hour trip. However, there are

Aug 27, 2011

Port Elizabeth is the main town on the Grenadine Island of Bequia (pronounced Beck Way) and is easily reached from Kingstown on St. Vincent by ferry, so making a daytrip is fairly straightforward.   Port Elizabeth is located in Admiralty Bay, a beautiful location that is truly popular with yachters and sun-worshippers. The main attractions are the beaches,

Aug 20, 2011

Hikers will need strong walking shoes and perhaps a walking stick on the loose gravel and rock below the crater’s edge.   I drank four litres of water on the hike; conditions in the forest are hot and humid and will drain strength quickly if  lost liquids aren’t replenished.   Expect the whole hike to take 4 – 5 hours depending on

Aug 16, 2011

The trailhead for the hike up the volcano of La Soufriere is around 1.5 hours from Kingstown, the capital of St Vincent. Visitors have to take a guided tour to the crater rim, especially since the inundation of April 10th – 11th, 2011, which washed away cars, houses, and trees brought down by last year’s hurricane. The trail wends through rainforest

Jul 21, 2011

DOWNERS GROVE, IL – July 18, 2011: For decades, the allure of Cuba has remained just out of reach for most Americans. Thanks to amended regulations, Americans may now travel to Cuba legally in the experienced hands of global luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent. This September, A&K will operate an inaugural journey to Cuba for U.S. citizens,