Other Caribbean Destinations Part II
Puerto Rico
Of the four largest Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is the only one under US jurisdiction. Nevertheless, Puerto Rico is more Caribbean, Spanish, Latino, tropical and colourful than anything Stateside. The island's Spanish heritage rings especially loud and clear in the seven blocks of restored San Juan Viejo - Old San Juan.
The crown jewel of Puerto Rican eco-tourism treasures is El Yunque Rainforest. El Yunque - the Anvil, in English - is a movie-set jungle ensconced in mist and rain over trees as high as 100 feet. You will hear many a squawk of the indigenous Puerto Rican Parrot, along with the croaks of millions of coqui, tiny tree frogs that are a national symbol. Some drink from the forest's two waterfalls, but you are advised to stick with the purified and bottled stuff, just to be on the safe side.
The island's second city, Ponce, may have been named for the aforementioned Ponce de Leon. Local residents call their city La Perla del Su - the Pearl of the South. It resembles provincial Spain in the daytime when locals gather in the cool shade of the Plaza Central. During the evenings, people re-group to socialize.
Delightful country inns known as paradores are a little-known aspect of Puerto Rican tourism. These government-promoted inns, patterned after those of Spain, are ideal for inexpensive family vacations, usually in a rustic setting.
See also http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php
Bermuda
Dreaming of Bermuda? Think pink and green. Pink for the soft pastel shades that wash this 21-square-mile island, and green for the colour of money that Bermuda's offshore banking and insurance sectors generate (though in reality the island's currency is as colourful as its British founders were).
Bermuda is too far north - 600 miles due East of Cape Hatters in North Carolina - to be considered geographically part of the Caribbean, and it boasts an island culture all its own. Actually, make that plural - as in islands - since Bermuda is really an archipelago, or a series of islands, joined by causeways and bridges.
Bermuda's isolation in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe, coupled with a history of English settlement, make it unique. It is spotlessly clean, quaint, orderly (almost to a fault) and extraordinarily pretty. There are no slums, no billboards, and very, very few fast food outlets. From the colonial architecture of the tidy homes that line its roads, to the fragrant tropical flowers that drape its old stone walls, Bermuda is a glorious sight. Indeed, that is surely what the island's first English settlers must have thought when their ship, the Sea Venture, wrecked off Bermuda's coast in 1609. Prior to this fateful encounter, the island was a navigational point for the Spanish. Throughout its early history, Bermuda had to defend itself against the Spanish, the French and the threat of invasion by the newly formed Republic of the United States to its west. During the Second World War, the tiny island played a significant role in keeping the vital North Atlantic sea lanes open. As a result of this colourful past, Bermuda boasts a number of forts and historical points of interest worth visiting. It remains a British colony to this day.
In general, Bermudians are gracious and polite hosts to the half- million people who visit their island each year, dwarfing the native population of about 65,000. Hotels and restaurants abound. So do churches. The vast majority of islanders are devout churchgoers. In fact, Bermuda claims to have the most churches per square mile than any other place on Earth. Most religions are represented, from Anglican and Roman Catholic to Islam and Christian Science. Perhaps as a result of this, there are no topless or nude beaches and no glitzy casinos in Bermuda.
Bermuda can get downright chilly in winter. However, the average temperature is about 65 degrees F - 70 degrees F from December to March and 75 degrees F - 85 degrees F during the warmest months of May to October. Outdoor pursuits abound, including the island's famed golf links, which have attracted presidents, royalty and some famous pros over the years. Bermuda also boasts a bike trail and is a prized sailing location, with many secluded inlets. Walking tours through the rolling countryside are also popular. Bermuda is generally flat, with a highest elevation of 259 feet. Underwater there is a treasure trove of shipwrecks to be explored ? some a mere 30 feet deep ? as well as pristine reefs and an abundance of marine life.
Shopping is a sport in itself on Bermuda. Many stores in the shopping districts of downtown Hamilton, the island's capital, and historic St George are housed in attractive cottages or historical buildings, and the quality of goods is generally high. While prices can be high for everything on Bermuda, where imports are subject to sometimes-hefty tariffs, there are also many unique items you might not find so easily elsewhere. The US dollar is on par with the Bermudian dollar.
Bermuda is a convenient 2-21/2 hour flight from most major cities on the US East Coast and is served by most major airlines.
See also http://www.bermudatourism.com/
Martinique
Martinique is part of overseas France, much like Hawaii is an offshore US state. The official language is French. Stores sell warm baguettes and fragrant pastries. Pharmacies stock the world-class French scents and toiletries so prized by women (and men) all over the globe. Supermarkets sell mostly French products. Shopping here is not much different from what you would expect of mainland France.
Other than fine wines, Martinicans are obsessed with the sweet, syrupy rums produced by the island's 11 rum distilleries. These distilleries make some of the world's best-fermented sugarcane liquor. Martinique boasts the only rum carrying France's prestigious Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) label. In mid-December 2004, the 24th annual rum festival was slated to kick off a special salute to the rums, dances and music of Martinique. The island's rum fete centres around the island's rum museum in a classic Creole house of 18th century vintage. Rum distilleries, as well as a banana museum, are located in the heart of the island's extensive banana plantings. And oh, the flowers! There seems to be no end of them, especially the conch-pink anthurium blossoms.
As befits a French venue, Martinique has marvellous museums. They include a collection of Paul Gauguin artefacts at the very spot where he painted Martinican beauties and splendid seascapes as well as tropical landscapes. Gauguin's former studio provides a view of St Pierre, once the prettiest and busiest city in the Caribbean-and known as "Little Paris." That ended in 1902 when the volcanic Mt Pelee (Mount Baldy in English) blew up, and 30,000 people died in the space of just a few minutes. Only survivor was the lone prisoner in the city jail. Today a museum and excavations suggest that Little Paris is now the Caribbean's Little Pompeii.
Martinique, as a part of France, has a much higher living standard than in other West Indian isles. Martinicans have such mainland France benefits as five-week paid vacations, universal health and education plans, paternity as well as maternity leaves, 36-hour work weeks - the lot.
English is widely spoken but it is a plus to know at least high-school French. There are wonderful subtleties in island culture - such as the tying of special knots in Martinican head coverings. A single knot is said to mean "my heart is taken," two knots means "my heart is available," and a triple knot can mean "I am spoken for, but you may still have a chance."
Martinique's capital city, Fort-de-France is for the most part chic, classy and tres Francais. Take the local ferry to major tourist centres and beaches across a bay so beautiful it has been compared to Italy's breath-taking Bay of Naples.
See also http://martiniquetourism.com/ (in French and English),
Bahamas
The glamourous parts of Grand Bahama are highly touted, well known and sometimes too busy to fully enjoy. However, there are many other places on the island that only the curious ever get to savour and appreciate. Most don't possess the pizazz of the hot spots, but they offer a close look at the real Bahamas. Today's tranquillity masks its often ribald past. Still the official capital of Grand Bahama, despite its small population, it lays claim to the island's most colourful past.
Stop and enjoy one of the island's most spectacular beaches, then as you return to the main road you pass Ben's Cavern, the central point of the Lucayan Cave system and Lucayan National Park, about seven miles from the Owl Hole.
Excerpt below from, “On Grand Bahama, Its Just Natural” by Cindy Loose of the Washington Post (February 27, 2005; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53376-2005Feb25.html)
“About 20 minutes down the road, at any one of 26 shacks built on wooden decks overlooking the ocean, you can order up a dinner that comes to your picnic table on paper plates that are about to collapse under the weight of fried fish and raw conch and peas 'n' rice and potato salad. Between 9 p.m. and the wee hours, you can catch music and dancing at competing shacks filled with locals and a few tourists.
The contrast between those two dining options typifies for me the grandest part of Grand Bahama Island: The tourist infrastructure has been nicely developed without overwhelming the island or sucking the life out of the local culture. Major corporations own some of the big hotels, but native entrepreneurs still have a piece of the action. Together, they've left a lot of empty space for nature and created distinctly different atmospheres.
You can, for instance, reserve a spot with one of the biggest and best dive companies in the region, or go by the dock and ask around to see if Bonefish Folley or one of his sons is available to take you fishing for the day.
My friend Kathy and I came to Grand Bahama earlier this month to enjoy nature. The 96-mile-long island is bigger, but much less populated and less developed, than its more popular neighbor, New Providence (home to Nassau). A favorite with families, it's known for having some of the best fishing, golfing, snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean. I was attracted by the fact it has three national parks and was only slightly put off by how tiny they are. Once I read that Grand Bahama has the best horseback riding in the long string of Bahamian islands, I was sold.
True, the island has casinos, too, but I never made it inside them -- and given the lack of neon and blinking lights advertising headliners, it's easy to forget they are even here. I suppose you could have a wild time on Grand Bahama Island if you went looking for it. But the most obvious thing to do is to soak in the quiet, friendly, low-key atmosphere, and relax.”
See also http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/index.aspx
Of the four largest Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is the only one under US jurisdiction. Nevertheless, Puerto Rico is more Caribbean, Spanish, Latino, tropical and colourful than anything Stateside. The island's Spanish heritage rings especially loud and clear in the seven blocks of restored San Juan Viejo - Old San Juan.
The crown jewel of Puerto Rican eco-tourism treasures is El Yunque Rainforest. El Yunque - the Anvil, in English - is a movie-set jungle ensconced in mist and rain over trees as high as 100 feet. You will hear many a squawk of the indigenous Puerto Rican Parrot, along with the croaks of millions of coqui, tiny tree frogs that are a national symbol. Some drink from the forest's two waterfalls, but you are advised to stick with the purified and bottled stuff, just to be on the safe side.
The island's second city, Ponce, may have been named for the aforementioned Ponce de Leon. Local residents call their city La Perla del Su - the Pearl of the South. It resembles provincial Spain in the daytime when locals gather in the cool shade of the Plaza Central. During the evenings, people re-group to socialize.
Delightful country inns known as paradores are a little-known aspect of Puerto Rican tourism. These government-promoted inns, patterned after those of Spain, are ideal for inexpensive family vacations, usually in a rustic setting.
See also http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php
Bermuda
Dreaming of Bermuda? Think pink and green. Pink for the soft pastel shades that wash this 21-square-mile island, and green for the colour of money that Bermuda's offshore banking and insurance sectors generate (though in reality the island's currency is as colourful as its British founders were).
Bermuda is too far north - 600 miles due East of Cape Hatters in North Carolina - to be considered geographically part of the Caribbean, and it boasts an island culture all its own. Actually, make that plural - as in islands - since Bermuda is really an archipelago, or a series of islands, joined by causeways and bridges.
Bermuda's isolation in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe, coupled with a history of English settlement, make it unique. It is spotlessly clean, quaint, orderly (almost to a fault) and extraordinarily pretty. There are no slums, no billboards, and very, very few fast food outlets. From the colonial architecture of the tidy homes that line its roads, to the fragrant tropical flowers that drape its old stone walls, Bermuda is a glorious sight. Indeed, that is surely what the island's first English settlers must have thought when their ship, the Sea Venture, wrecked off Bermuda's coast in 1609. Prior to this fateful encounter, the island was a navigational point for the Spanish. Throughout its early history, Bermuda had to defend itself against the Spanish, the French and the threat of invasion by the newly formed Republic of the United States to its west. During the Second World War, the tiny island played a significant role in keeping the vital North Atlantic sea lanes open. As a result of this colourful past, Bermuda boasts a number of forts and historical points of interest worth visiting. It remains a British colony to this day.
In general, Bermudians are gracious and polite hosts to the half- million people who visit their island each year, dwarfing the native population of about 65,000. Hotels and restaurants abound. So do churches. The vast majority of islanders are devout churchgoers. In fact, Bermuda claims to have the most churches per square mile than any other place on Earth. Most religions are represented, from Anglican and Roman Catholic to Islam and Christian Science. Perhaps as a result of this, there are no topless or nude beaches and no glitzy casinos in Bermuda.
Bermuda can get downright chilly in winter. However, the average temperature is about 65 degrees F - 70 degrees F from December to March and 75 degrees F - 85 degrees F during the warmest months of May to October. Outdoor pursuits abound, including the island's famed golf links, which have attracted presidents, royalty and some famous pros over the years. Bermuda also boasts a bike trail and is a prized sailing location, with many secluded inlets. Walking tours through the rolling countryside are also popular. Bermuda is generally flat, with a highest elevation of 259 feet. Underwater there is a treasure trove of shipwrecks to be explored ? some a mere 30 feet deep ? as well as pristine reefs and an abundance of marine life.
Shopping is a sport in itself on Bermuda. Many stores in the shopping districts of downtown Hamilton, the island's capital, and historic St George are housed in attractive cottages or historical buildings, and the quality of goods is generally high. While prices can be high for everything on Bermuda, where imports are subject to sometimes-hefty tariffs, there are also many unique items you might not find so easily elsewhere. The US dollar is on par with the Bermudian dollar.
Bermuda is a convenient 2-21/2 hour flight from most major cities on the US East Coast and is served by most major airlines.
See also http://www.bermudatourism.com/
Martinique
Martinique is part of overseas France, much like Hawaii is an offshore US state. The official language is French. Stores sell warm baguettes and fragrant pastries. Pharmacies stock the world-class French scents and toiletries so prized by women (and men) all over the globe. Supermarkets sell mostly French products. Shopping here is not much different from what you would expect of mainland France.
Other than fine wines, Martinicans are obsessed with the sweet, syrupy rums produced by the island's 11 rum distilleries. These distilleries make some of the world's best-fermented sugarcane liquor. Martinique boasts the only rum carrying France's prestigious Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) label. In mid-December 2004, the 24th annual rum festival was slated to kick off a special salute to the rums, dances and music of Martinique. The island's rum fete centres around the island's rum museum in a classic Creole house of 18th century vintage. Rum distilleries, as well as a banana museum, are located in the heart of the island's extensive banana plantings. And oh, the flowers! There seems to be no end of them, especially the conch-pink anthurium blossoms.
As befits a French venue, Martinique has marvellous museums. They include a collection of Paul Gauguin artefacts at the very spot where he painted Martinican beauties and splendid seascapes as well as tropical landscapes. Gauguin's former studio provides a view of St Pierre, once the prettiest and busiest city in the Caribbean-and known as "Little Paris." That ended in 1902 when the volcanic Mt Pelee (Mount Baldy in English) blew up, and 30,000 people died in the space of just a few minutes. Only survivor was the lone prisoner in the city jail. Today a museum and excavations suggest that Little Paris is now the Caribbean's Little Pompeii.
Martinique, as a part of France, has a much higher living standard than in other West Indian isles. Martinicans have such mainland France benefits as five-week paid vacations, universal health and education plans, paternity as well as maternity leaves, 36-hour work weeks - the lot.
English is widely spoken but it is a plus to know at least high-school French. There are wonderful subtleties in island culture - such as the tying of special knots in Martinican head coverings. A single knot is said to mean "my heart is taken," two knots means "my heart is available," and a triple knot can mean "I am spoken for, but you may still have a chance."
Martinique's capital city, Fort-de-France is for the most part chic, classy and tres Francais. Take the local ferry to major tourist centres and beaches across a bay so beautiful it has been compared to Italy's breath-taking Bay of Naples.
See also http://martiniquetourism.com/ (in French and English),
Bahamas
The glamourous parts of Grand Bahama are highly touted, well known and sometimes too busy to fully enjoy. However, there are many other places on the island that only the curious ever get to savour and appreciate. Most don't possess the pizazz of the hot spots, but they offer a close look at the real Bahamas. Today's tranquillity masks its often ribald past. Still the official capital of Grand Bahama, despite its small population, it lays claim to the island's most colourful past.
Stop and enjoy one of the island's most spectacular beaches, then as you return to the main road you pass Ben's Cavern, the central point of the Lucayan Cave system and Lucayan National Park, about seven miles from the Owl Hole.
Excerpt below from, “On Grand Bahama, Its Just Natural” by Cindy Loose of the Washington Post (February 27, 2005; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53376-2005Feb25.html)
“About 20 minutes down the road, at any one of 26 shacks built on wooden decks overlooking the ocean, you can order up a dinner that comes to your picnic table on paper plates that are about to collapse under the weight of fried fish and raw conch and peas 'n' rice and potato salad. Between 9 p.m. and the wee hours, you can catch music and dancing at competing shacks filled with locals and a few tourists.
The contrast between those two dining options typifies for me the grandest part of Grand Bahama Island: The tourist infrastructure has been nicely developed without overwhelming the island or sucking the life out of the local culture. Major corporations own some of the big hotels, but native entrepreneurs still have a piece of the action. Together, they've left a lot of empty space for nature and created distinctly different atmospheres.
You can, for instance, reserve a spot with one of the biggest and best dive companies in the region, or go by the dock and ask around to see if Bonefish Folley or one of his sons is available to take you fishing for the day.
My friend Kathy and I came to Grand Bahama earlier this month to enjoy nature. The 96-mile-long island is bigger, but much less populated and less developed, than its more popular neighbor, New Providence (home to Nassau). A favorite with families, it's known for having some of the best fishing, golfing, snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean. I was attracted by the fact it has three national parks and was only slightly put off by how tiny they are. Once I read that Grand Bahama has the best horseback riding in the long string of Bahamian islands, I was sold.
True, the island has casinos, too, but I never made it inside them -- and given the lack of neon and blinking lights advertising headliners, it's easy to forget they are even here. I suppose you could have a wild time on Grand Bahama Island if you went looking for it. But the most obvious thing to do is to soak in the quiet, friendly, low-key atmosphere, and relax.”
See also http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/index.aspx
posted by Dan in Tx | 9:49 PM
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