I have been fortunate to have visited Florida a number of times - sunshine, warm temperatures and the fact the state is ground zero for tropical fruit in the lower 48 has always appealed to me. My first Florida experience was perhaps not the norm - during college we transported a solar car we built in California to the East Coast for a race and then ultimately down to Florida. Camping in July in the middle of the Everglades surrounded by clouds … [Read more...]
A Nicaraguan Pirate Story
Chapter I: The Introduction He filled the doorway and peered down at me with eyes the color of the deep blue sea. “You must be Louise” he said, “Come in”. The familiarity startled me a little. It had been one of those weeks where the city water was on for just a few hours a day. Bathing was barely an option. Doing laundry was not. Nothing was clean. Black board shorts and a matching tank top would have to do. The two bus, one van, and one … [Read more...]
Travel Leisure Names Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia the Top Hotel
New York, NY, July 16, 2014 - The leading travel magazine, Travel + Leisure, has just announced that Saint Lucia’s Jade Mountain has once again been named the Top Hotel in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas in the latest Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2014. This is the 3rd time that the readers of Travel + Leisure have awarded this distinction to Jade Mountain, the 29-room, AAA Five Diamond luxury resort known for its stunning … [Read more...]
Later “Louise”!: Hurricane Season in Tortola, BVI
John M. Edwards hunkers down in the hallway of his Caribbean concrete-block hotel to sit out a hurricane tempest more powerful than Peter Potamous’s “Hippo Hurricane Howler”! “BEE-HEE-HEE-HAW-HAW!” I impressively bellowed like Peter Potamous, the cartoon hippo on the Hana-Barbera animated series “Peter Potamous and So-So” (1964). I had every right to howl, now that almost all of the tourists on Tortola--in the British Virgin Islands (or … [Read more...]
My Winter Wish List for the Holidays
As the weather cools, travel heats up this time of year- visits to friends and family during the holidays, local trips to experience outdoor activities or destination trips to warmer locales certainly sounds appealing - especially as I write this - huddled next to a space heater. The warmth of this heater is making me reflect upon warm weather destinations that I visited earlier this year; Bermuda (an easy flight from the East Coast), Sydney, … [Read more...]
Discover NCL
What's so great about NCL? Flexibility for one thing, and plenty of it! With Norwegian Cruise Line you can enjoy the perfect cruise based around your own schedule. There are no strict dining times, no formal dress codes, and no hassle. Dress up, dress down, stay in, go to a club, do nothing, or do everything. The choice is yours. NCL's Freestyle Dining allows passengers to dine wherever they like, and to take their pick from a range of … [Read more...]
Exploring Bermuda, an Introduction to the Island
Getting Here There are nonstop flights to Hamilton from a number of cities along the east coast of the USA as well as London Gatwick. It is surprisingly a short flight from many major metropolitan areas including New York (under 2.5 hours) and Toronto (about 3 hours). Many airlines service the island with nonstop flights including Air Canada, American, British Airways, Delta, Jet Blue, United, US Airways and Westjet among others. Bermuda … [Read more...]
Johnny Barnes, Bermuda’s Waving Man!
We were recently in Bermuda and noticed a life-size bronze statue of a waving man next to the road. How many living people have a statue built in their honor? Johnny Barnes was a fixture on the island, spending his happy days waiving for 25+ years from a median grass strip near the capital city of Bermuda, Hamilton. He was still waiving to folks in his early 90's - and was one of the island's legends. He passed on in 2016 at age 93. Here is a … [Read more...]
Beautiful St. George Bermuda
I was wandering the harbor front of the quaint town of St. George when I stumbled upon a screaming lady being dragged through the streets by two guys. She had a crazy look in her eyes and her captors where screaming out angry accusations, "gossiper, nag etc". I wondered if I had the guts to intervene on behalf of this poor lady. But looking around I realized I would have to resort to violence to put an end to their crazy actions and seeing … [Read more...]
Lets do it! Enjoying Bermuda
We descended quickly through the clouds breaking out of the sky to views of gorgeous aquamarine waters and darker beds of corral below us. This is Bermuda - a tiny 21 mile long tiny island in the general shape of a fish hook, situated all by itself in the North Atlantic. With a geographical location of 32 degrees and being among the gulf stream the island benefits from rather mild temperatures in the winter - and warm moderate temperatures in the … [Read more...]