Christmas in the Caribbean - Space Still Available!

The Caribbean is magical during the Holidays! And best of all, it is WARM! If you are thinking of spending your holidays in the tropics and have not booked your trip, rest assured there are many great places with space still available! Below is a list.

(This is the cover for an album of Christmas Songs compiled by a priest in Jamaica. You can read all about him and his wonderful works here.)

The Queen's Staircase

The Queen's Staircase is a Bahamian National Treasure. We stopped to check it out on our moped tour of the island. There are 65 stairs and the site is named in honor of Queen Victoria's 65 year reign. The stairs are carved in limestone and it is said this was done by slaves with hand axes - not an easy task.



Taken from Destination 360: Originally, the Queens Staircase was built to provide British troops a protected route to Fort Fincastle, and the slaves used were local peoples from the island. Fort Fincastle was built on the highest point of the island as a lookout by the British captain Lord Dunmore in 1793. The Queens Staircase and Fort Fincastle were inspired by a desire to watch for encroaching marauders and pirates, however, none ever attacked and the fort is now a lighthouse that tourists can view.

It was nice and cool...

Mr. Adventure-Seeking-Sangster could not resist:

The lighthouse at Ft. Fincastle:

Nature surprises us whenever and where ever she can:

Kids at play:

There is a colorful market adjacent to the fort:

Ahhh! The cruise ships are coming... the cruise ships are coming...

Time to go down... down was much easier:

Random Jamaica Shots

I have spent this weekend going through thousands of pictures on my PC and laptop... most my own, but also some from friends and clients. I came across a few I absolutely love from Jamaica...

This is Faith's Pen, a gastronomic refueling station on Mt. Diablo which can be found on the drive from Ocho Rios to Kingston. The steel drums house the grills that cook the famous jerk chicken to perfection. You can find almost every kind of Jamaican speciality here... we enjoyed our chicken with fried breadfruit and fresh avocados. (Pears, as they are known on the island)


There are so many wonderfully mysterious gates on the island. This one, flanked by a tall stone wall, led us to believe there must be a fabulous house within its enclosure. There isn't one. Only the sea: This is Lily, dancing her way across one of the many lawns we visit when we are in Jamaica. The lawn invites us for cartwheels, picnics, and stargazing. It sparkles with early morning dew and yet remains a cool respite even when the sun blazes above:

For the Love of Palm Trees

They are the quintessential sign that you have arrived... in the tropics. I haven't met a person who does not love them, in all their varied forms. From short and stubby to tall and proud, palm trees are as diverse as they are grand. Here is an except from A Passion for Palms, originally printed in Caribbean Homes & Lifestyle Magazine in the Autumn 2007 issue. Words and pictures by Janie Conley:The image of the palm tree has long been a recognisable emblem associated with the Caribbean region. Whether to illustrate palm fringed beaches or as a symbol of pride incorporated into designs for coats of arms by several nations: the Palm Tree is an important icon firmly attached to the Caribbean. Our most celebrated palm is the Coconut - a member of the arecaeae palm family and ubiquitous within our region. Our love for the palm is one of a passionate nature and in visiting Andrew Goodenough’s garden at Rotten Hill in Antigua I have been able to witness this passion in its most creative form. Andrew is more acclaimed for his architectural designs rather than for his ‘green fingers’, but he is nevertheless an enthusiastic amateur gardener. He was first introduced to the subtle pleasures of gardening at an early age in the rather cooler climes of rural England. A member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Andrew has been practising and living in Antigua for over 25 years, having set sail from England for the Caribbean in 1979. The gardens of Andrew’s hilltop home pay tribute to his sailing past... read more here.

Halloween & Pirates

Its that time of year. Halloween. Our Atlanta neighborhood goes all out and most homes share in the spirit and decorate on some level... from standard pumpkins ready for carving to blow-up spiders and twinkling orange lights. Atlanta also practices another tradition that was new to me when I moved here, it is called "Ghosting". Your doorbell will ring around 8 or 9 at night in early October. You rush to see who could possibly be arriving unannounced at this hour, because let's face it, people just don't "drop in" these days. No one is there, so you glance down and see a little bundle of joy in the festive form of a trick-or-treat bag or nylon pumpkin overflowing with Halloween goodies. A note accompanies the treats announcing the "ghosting" and instructing you to hang the little ghost picture on your door to let the rest of the 'hood know you have already been hit and then asking you to "ghost" another house. This is a really neat tradition that my daughter loves. (This display is not my own - but I sure wish it was!)Halloween is a special time in our house and never comes and goes without one or two discussions on the infamous pirates of the Caribbean. No, not Johnny Depp, but the REAL pirates that inhabited many of the islands and most notably, my husband's native Jamaica. One of our favorite stories to retell is that of Sir Henry Morgan. Having lived a pirates life, Morgan was acting-governor of Jamaica and enjoyed the heyday that made Port Royal famous. Port Royal is located on a spit of land in the middle of Kingston Harbour and it is here that you can find the hotel and marina that bears Sir Henry's name . We stopped by the Morgan's Harbour Hotel for lunch a few months ago... here are my best shots...

Sunbathing area for guests:
Boats in the marina:
Certainly not the most entertaining photos, but if you look closely you might see the duppies that call this part of the island home.

If you want to learn more about Sir Henry Morgan and the time in which Port Royal was at is prime - as the wealthiest city in the Western Hemisphere - watch Captain Blood. In it, Errol Flynn portrays Dr. Blood, a character we all assume is tightly based on Sir Henry.

A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean

Gary Buslik claims to be a rotten person. But I don't think so. After reading his self-titled book, "A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean". I think he is just human and humorous. The book details his chance encounters with Idi Amin and Princess Diana and his persuasive quest to encounter the ghost of Ernest Hemingway to his severe Cuban Cigar induced panic attack all to the backdrop of the glorious Caribbean. Mr. Buslik has seen it all. (If I really believed that, I would have to stop trying to convince him to take another trip and that, of course, is my job.) From gruesome cock-fights in Grenada to pre and post volcanic eruption on Monsterrat and many of the touristy places in between. When Mr. Buslik isn't island-hopping through the tropics he can be found teaching literature and creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.His favorite souvenirs? Letter from aforementioned Princess... and well, I had to ask what else:

Laura: Aside from Cuban Cigars, what are your favorite items to bring back to Chicago from the islands?

Gary: Local newspapers. On some smaller islands, these can be a hoot. In one, there is an advice column written by an "island man," Love Vibes, and here is one of his actual letters and answers:

Dear Love Vibes:

I have got a serious problem. I love my boyfriend with all my might, but he has one "shortcoming" that I have tried to ignore but now find it's really starting to bug me. As much as I've tried, I find that I'm not being satisfied totally in bed.
Mind you, I love him with all my heart, and he is sweet and handsome. He treat me with respect and generosity and would never bite me with another woman, but I'm beginning to think I might need something more. What should I do? Should length really matter?

-- SaraFina of High Ground

Dear SaraFina:

Dump him. Here is why. Take our cruise-ship port. When the massive boats that look like God is on board come to island, they can tie right up to jetty? No. Why so? Because they too big. Jetty can't handle them, so they have to park way offshore and God have to take dinghy to town, which is undignified. And the farther these gigantic vessels are from dock, the smaller they appear to the human eyeball. So tell me, what good all those restaurants and jewelry stores and luxury suites and such on board if you look tiny to poor island people, the very souls you trying to impress? So here they are on jetty, thinking, Who is this coming to our quay in that miserable little skiff, God's cleaning lady?

Now, continuing with my splendid nautical analogy, imagine taking a Caribbean cruise in a rowboat. What you think? You ain't eating in restaurant with steak and wine and sorbet. No, gal, you going to be eating raw jellyfish and flossing with tentacle. The luxury swimming pool is over the side, and the only Lido deck you going to jog around is in you brain when it start to hallucinate.

You see what I am getting at? Moderation. Luckily, here comes a nice ship around the bend, just the right size, name of SS Love Vibes, sleek and handsome in the sunlight or under a full moon, it don't matter, just the right girth to slip into any dock nice and snug, and which will give you smooth ride and never make you puke. Plenty of onboard recreation, don't worry. Full speed ahead!

-- Yours in Spirit and Flesh, "Love Vibes"

It's also interesting to see, from our years of taking home local newspapers and comparing the old ones with the new, how small-island culture has changed over the last couple of decades. In the 1980s, the most serious crimes reported on police blotters were things like, "Mrs. Sanders' goat wandered into Mr. Gerard's yard and was found eating his dasheen." Now, even on out-of-the-way islands, we frequently see reports like this:

Miss Lilly Weatherbottom, cashier of Happy Shop Grocery Store at Cane SettlementVillage, reported being hit over the head with a cinder block and being robbed of EC $3.15 and a bag of salted pumpkin nuts. When asked by police if she got any kind of description of her assailant, she replied, "Yes, man. It was my cousin Ronal Henderson, who live up the road. When I get me hand on him, I will thump the devil out him. Then you will have a damn report."

Laura: You've had many strange encounters with animals of the islands—cock fighters, stray dogs…what's up with the animal magnetism?

Gary: This is a terrific question, because it lets me promote one of my favorite causes, saving island stray dogs. We've all seen these friendly, hardy, "beach dogs" wandering around town or on the sand. Did you know these strays actually are an officially recognized sub-breed? They are called potcakes (supposedly from their habit of eating crud from the bottoms of dishware) and they all have similar features because of their many years of in-breeding. Their presence at beachside bars and restaurants are as much a part of island culture as cocktail umbrellas and coconuts. The problem is, West Indians (perhaps understandably) don't embrace their dogs and cats in the same member-of-the-family way we do in North America and Europe, so they more or less leave it up to animal-loving expats to round up these sweet strays, neuter them, and try to find them good homes. On a couple of islands now, these loving and dedicated volunteers can actually send your new pet back home with you. Check out a few of these terrific Internet sites:

http://www.potcakeplace.com/
http://www.potcake.org/
http://www.potcakefoundation.com/

Or just google "Potcakes," and you'll learn tons about these happy, love-deserving pups.

Ditto with stray cats. Most of the smaller islands don't have animal-control officers and shelters we take for granted up north, so it's up to caring volunteers to round up feral or abandoned felines, neuter them and either release them or find them good homes. Check out:

http://www.pawswatch.org/
http://www.caribbeananimaltourismsupport.org/
http://www.pegasusfoundation.org/

As far as I'm concerned, helping these little guys is more important than helping ourselves to more tan lines, carved coconut heads, and piña coladas.

Laura: Who would you like to take to the Caribbean with you?

Gary: My cat, Babs. Because I miss her so much when I'm gone, I don't travel nearly as much as I used to. I would love to take her overseas with me, but she would never be able to pass a visa background check. She has a criminal record a mile long, mostly for soliciting prostitution. When I found her, she had set up shop in my garage with a sign that said something I can't repeat here but, as a hint to your readers, involved the color black and a slang word for both cat and a female sex organ. I've since taken her into the house proper, surgically removed her obsession for intercourse—a rehabilitation requiring not only an expensive operation but years of intensive psychotherapy—and have taught her how to type, in order to start paying me back.

Laura: Where will you be going next?

Gary: To the bathroom. I drink a lot of tea when I'm writing. I recommend Tazo brand Earl Grey. This is a no-charge public service announcement for your readers, so they can't complain about wasting their lives on the Internet.

Laura: Any future books or article in the works?

Gary: I'm considering a Rotten Person sequel: A Rotten Person Does Vegas. I just came back from there and am now sitting in abject terror, trying to figure out a way to cover the check I wrote to the casino. Speaking of which—another public service announcement—I was forced at gunpoint to see Phantom of the Opera, whose audience exit featured every guy slapping the back of his wife's head. Also, at dinner one night, who should sit at the table next to us but O.J. Simpson, holding court, whooping it up, apparently believing that no one in his right mind would ever deprive the world of his magnificent presence. This was three days before a jury decided he should spend the rest of his life pooping into stainless steel. Maybe your readers would return my no-charge tea recommendation by writing to tell me what they think of the Rotten Person sequel idea. They can reach me at arottenperson@earthlink.net.

My advice? Buy this book before your next Caribbean adventure! Enjoy!

Bahamas 4 - What We Did

What we did was this... rented a moped and cruised around the entire island of New Providence. Great fun but safety first:

Our first stop was Fort Montagu... a miniturized fort in terms of Caribbean forts:Mr. Sangster is an amazing driver, having visited and driven in over 70 countries he understood this sign at first glance. Me... not so much. "Curves ahead?", I asked. Yes, I was right. But one could interpret it in many ways:

Bahamas 3 - Atlantis

The Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island calls to visitors of Nassau from many viewpoints in the city. It is visible from all of the hotels on Cable Beach, including Sandals. Having not been to the Bahamas since this palace was built, we had to investigate:


All in all, a great night was had. We gambled for a few hours - came out ahead, danced in the night club Aura until we could dance no more. While gambling we listened to new friends tell fish tales of the day's catch and longingly spied Nobu - closing for the evening. Another time...