New Caribbean Island Coming
For the first time in 100 years, the island of West Caicos Reserve, The Protected Island will become an official destination in the Caribbean.
Telegraph Telegraph Telegraph Telegraph Telegraph Telegraph
The island was previously uninhabited, and is home to a 500 acre wildlife preserve, untouched white sand beaches, and brilliant azure waters. Pink Flamingos have used this pristine island as a breeding ground, and the island is rumored to be the final resting place of Christopher Columbus' ship the Pinta.
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You can only reach the island by boat, helicopter or small plane. To keep the project environmental friendly, the transportation on the island will be electric vehicles or bicycles.
Experienced divers who frequent Turks & Caicos have been transported to the West Caicos Reserve for years, and have made the ranking of the island among the world's best diving sites.
Ritz Carlton Boutique Resort is the first planned lodging for West Caicos Reserve, and is part of an environmental stewardship program. Molasses Reef will be the centerpiece of the project with 125 oceanview suites, two restaurants and a premier spa. Private plunge pools are also on the drawing board for this upscale boutique resort. Ritz Carlton is also planning branded villas, secluded single family homes, custom homes, cottages and marina townhomes. This new project is expected to be completed sometime in 2007.
New West Caicos Reserve residents will be involved in efforts to preserve the natural habitat since 90% of the islands habitat will remain undisturbed. Over the last decade, the current residents of Turks & Caicos have given their suggestions as to how the island, which is right off their coastline, will be utilized and preserved.
So, you might want to put West Caicos Reserve on your travel calendar for 2007. Ritz Carlton is planning an elaborate marketing plan starting in mid 2022.
Caribbean Islands To Fit Your Lifestyle
Choosing the right island can definitely make the difference in your vacation experience. Many travelers assume the islands of the Caribbean are all the same, with great beaches, plenty of sun and warm turquoise waters . . . and most islands offer plenty of the above. I say most because the islands of Dominica and Saba are not on any beach lovers list.
Aside from spending time at the beach, most vacationers enjoy a particular lifestyle or activities such as: Shopping, Gambling, Nightlife, Quiet and Secluded, Hiking, Golf, Photography and Nature, History and Archeology buffs, Snorkeling, Diving, Sailing, All Inclusives, Family Friendly Islands, and the list goes on.
Just remember when spending your hard earned money, choosing the right Caribbean island will ensure the "perfect" Caribbean vacation.
SHOPPING IN THE CARIBBEAN
You can shop on any island, but if you are looking for a "shop til you drop" experience, head to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Curacao (pronounced cure-uh-sow). Both islands have extensive stores, shops and designer boutiques that rival any U.S. or European city. Other islands that offer a variety of shopping are Barbados, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico and St Martin/St Maarten.
CARIBBEAN GAMBLING CASINOS
The largest gambling casinos in the Caribbean are found in Aruba, The Bahamas (Cable Beach & Paradise Island), Curacao, San Juan, St Croix, and St Maarten.
Barbados and Jamaica only have slot machines. Antigua, Belize, Bonaire, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Kitts, St Vincent and Turks & Caicos all have much smaller gaming operations.
CARIBBEAN NIGHTLIFE
Lots of fun when the Caribbean sun goes down can be found on Barbados, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Martin/St Martin, and St Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
QUIET AND SECLUSION
Travelers who are looking for a more peaceful, secluded vacation will find it on Parrot Cay which is located on Turks & Caicos, St Kitts, St Vincent & The Grenadines, and Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.
HIKING IN THE CARIBBEAN
DominicaValley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake; Dominican RepublicPico Duarte Ascent (Caribbean's highest peak); GrenadaMt. Qua Qua; GuadeloupeLa Soufriere Volcano; JamaicaBlue Mountains; Puerto RicoEl Yunque National Forest; St. KittsBloody Rivers Stream; TobagoLittle Tobago Cay; TrinidadAsa Wright Nature Center; and the US Virgin Islands2/3 of the island of St John is a nature preserve.
GOLF
The best Caribbean golf courses are found on the islands of Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Croix and St Thomas.
CARIBBEAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND NATUREDominica, Jamaica, St John, St Lucia are wonderful islands for photography and nature lovers. In fact Dominica is called the nature island of the Caribbean.
HISTORY & ARCHEOLOGY BUFFS will find the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Curacao, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico quite interesting.
SNORKELING
Antigua, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Curacao's Marine Park, St Martin, The Grenadines, Tobago, St Thomas, Turks & Caicos, St Croix and St John all offer the best snorkeling in all the Caribbean islands.
DIVING
Caribbean diving enthusiasts prefer Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Saba, The Bahamas, St Croix, Turks & Caicos, and Virgin Gorda.
SAILING
the best sailing in the Caribbean can be found on Antigua, Barbados, St Martin, The Grenadines, US Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands.
CARIBBEAN ALL INCLUSIVES
Both Jamaica and The Dominican Republic do not have an infrastructure that is set up for tourism. This is why both islands offer an abundance of all inclusive hotels and resorts. Jamaica is the largest of the Caribbean islands, and has many points of interest, however the roads are extremely bad. It should be noted that Jamaica is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, and travelers should be careful in choosing which part of Jamaica to visit. English is spoken in the resort areas, however once you get into the Dominican countryside, Spanish is required.
FAMILY FRIENDLY CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, St Lucia, Tobago and Turks & Caicos. Also, the Four Seasons on the island of Nevis offers a great kid program, and all the Hyatt Regency resorts throughout the Caribbean offer family friendly vacations.
Discovering Loch Ness, Scotland
Loch Ness is arguably Scotland's most famous tourist attraction. Every year, people from around the world visit this 24-mile stretch of water for its breathtaking beauty, and of course to revel in the legend of the fabled Loch Ness Monster. Loch Ness is just one of many lochs (or lakes) hidden amongst the awe-inspiring Scottish countryside, and is also one of the most rewarding. There is so much to discover along its picturesque shoreline and in the surrounding countryside, providing families and the young at heart with fun, excitement and adventure.
The North Shore
Inverness is the essential starting point for a tour around the Loch. Capital of the Highland Region in Scotland, Inverness is situated at a strategic point where the waters of Loch Ness flow out into the Moray Firth. Views along the wide river are very impressive, Inverness Castle sat high up on the river bank being the photographer's favorite.
Loch Ness is some 15kms south-west of Inverness. Visitors should take the A82 road towards Drumnadrochit on the north side of the lake. Stunning views of the loch can be enjoyed between the trees all the way along the hilly shore road. Roughly a third of the way along the north shore the dramatic ruins of Urquhart Castle come into view.
Urquhart Castle dates back to the 13th century. As far as romantic ruins go, this castle has it all. It is perched up above the trees on a rocky outcrop, which plunges steeply down into the loch. The waters of the loch quickly reach a depth of 600ft and it is said that sometimes strange ripples can be seen on the water in the shadow of the castle - signs that the Loch Ness Monster is stirring!
Onwards along the north shore the road takes you through the 17th century hamlet of Invermoriston before reaching Fort Augustus at the southwestern tip of the loch. At Fort Augustus the staircase lock system on the Caledonian Canal can be seen. The Canal was begun in 1803 by the great industrial architect, Thomas Telford. If you want to tour the loch by boat, Fort Augustus is the best place to do it from.
The South Shore
On the south side of Loch Ness the scenery becomes wild. Single track roads hug the undulating shoreline. The south side is often more tranquil, while the 100-foot falls at Foyer are an amazing sight! At Dores towards the north-east end of the lake a small road switchbacks up into the hills to the south. Here you will find a series of smaller lochs nestled at altitude between the steep-sloped mountains - perfect if you're looking for the ultimate in beautiful Scottish scenery.
A Stay At Old San Juan In Puerto Rico
One of the most used departure ports for cruise ships in the Caribbean is San Juan in Puerto Rico. We decided to arrive a day early to San Juan in order to see some sights before our cruise ship departure. San Juan, known as 'La Ciudad Amurallada' (the walled city), was founded in 1521 and is the oldest city under the US flag. During the 16th century, the Spanish used it as a point of departure for expeditions to the New World. Fortifications in the Old San Juan section of the city repulsed numerous attacks from the English and the Dutch during those years. Today, Old San Juan is a charming seven square block commercial and residential area with cobblestone streets.
The cruise ship terminal is actually located near the south side of Old San Juan so instead of booking a hotel in the beach resort area of San Juan, we decided to book one right in the old section for close proximity to the terminal as well as the local sights. The $17 US taxi ride from San Juan's airport to Old San Juan was about half an hour. During the ride, I was impressed by how developed the city was compared to many other cities I've visited in the Caribbean. The beach high-rise hotels along the north side of San Juan were visible from the highway. Our stay for the night was at the Hotel Milano which is right on Calle Fortaleza, which is one of the major commercial streets in Old San Juan. The hotel was clean and comfortable but not luxurious which was okay with us as the price was very affordable. Its quality was probably comparable to a Travelodge or Days Inn. A very pleasant surprise was the free continental breakfast at the hotel's rooftop restaurant. It gave a nice view of the neighborhood from the top.
We spent the day and evening walking the many cobblestone streets and alleys in the area. There are over 400 restored colonial buildings from the 16th and 17th century here. There were also several plaza squares and parks. One of the nicest services offered in Old San Juan is a free shuttle bus which covers two different routes through the district. There was a bus stop about 1/2 block away from our hotel which was very convenient. Riding on the shuttle buses through both routes gave us a good overview of Old San Juan. We were able to stop off at several points of interest including the huge El Morro fort. After our visits to each attraction, we just had to wait for the next bus to come by to continue our tour. In the evening, we did get lost while walking since many of the streets look very similar. But with our map, we eventually found our way back to the street where the Hotel Milano was. We decided to dine at one of the nearby restaurants for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and were not disappointed. My lady especially adored the two different plantains we ordered.
When it was time to go to the cruise ship terminal, we just took a short five minute ride from our hotel. Our short stay in Old San Juan was definitely worthwhile and hassle free. A stay in Old San Juan is highly recommended for those who will be taking a Caribbean cruise with San Juan as the departure point. The only disappointment I had with San Juan was that I was hoping to do some scuba diving in the area but from the reports I read, the waters off the city are quite murky with limited marine life to see. This is likely the result of San Juan being such a busy port. The decent scuba diving sites are about 2 hours east of San Juan. So perhaps in a return trip to Puerto Rico, I will plan to make a trip to the east part of the island.
Fond Memories And A Common Sense Approach To Living In Morelia, Mexico
For me, living in Morelia was a very rewarding experience. It was certainly far different than what I had been used to in the United States. When I went there in 1997, technology existed, however, technicians were at times limited in their knowledge compared to their counterparts in the United States. Therefore, on occasion, computer equipment did not work as well as what I had been accustomed to. And, computer services were much more limited. For instance, when I first arrived at Centro Mexicano Internacional (CMI, my school in Morelia), there was one computer available 10 to 30 minutes a day to students for email services. If I wanted additional time and services, I had to go rent one of the two or three available computers at a local cyber café a few blocks down the street from CMI.
Now, I could have felt disheartened like some of the American students at my school, however, I viewed it as an interesting challenge. Instead of reading emails during my available computer time, I would download them, print them, and read them later. Then, I would hand write out any replies I wanted to send, type them up on a non-internet computer in Microsoft Word. Afterwards, I saved them to a disk, and the next day cut and paste my replies into my emails and sent them during my 10 to 30 minutes of computer time.
Morelia's Transportation System
Welcome to the world of the Combi, Morelia's at times challenging bus system! Consisting of a fleet of VW buses, the normal capacity is 15-18 people. However, it was not unusual to see more than 20 people sandwiched into every nook and cranny of the Combi. It was times like that that I really hoped everyone had used their deodorant. The nice thing is that Combis went virtually everywhere and one never had to wait very long for another in the event of missing the previous one. And, with such closeness, it was impossible not to get to know fellow passengers. I met many wonderful people that way. There were times, however, I must admit I broke down and took a taxi when I felt I needed my space. That was alright too, though, because as long as one negotiates the price prior to starting out, most trips are quite reasonable. For instance, in 1997, I could ride pretty much anywhere in El Centro (downtown) for anywhere between $2 and $3. Even longer trips across town were generally never more than $8 to $10.
Most generally, I felt safe riding in either mode of transportation. One Combi experience I had, however, was a bit tense (funny now, not too much then). I decided to take a scenic tour around town one day. For most of the trip, there was one other person besides me and the bus driver. He sat up in the front seat with the driver and got into an intense political discussion that eventually turned to the subject of Gringos. It was obvious neither of them cared much for the fact that Gringos were living "south of the border." I sat quietly listening, hoping that I was dark skinned enough to resemble one of them. By that time, my Spanish was good enough that I could hold my ground in most conversations. I felt tremendously relieved, though, when the driver looked over at me and said "you are from Brazil, right?" I didn't actually say yes, but I managed a quick remark in my limited vocabulary of Portuguese, enough to satisfy him and his friend at least. After that, I confined my Combi trips to shorter runs and more crowded buses.
Getting Used To Living On "Mexico Time"
The first time I taught an English class on a Saturday, I was exposed to the concept of doing things on "Mexico time." Saturdays classes were always a bit more relaxed than ones during the week as most school administrators were gone. Students as well as teachers let their hair down a bit more than usual. I generally was not as strict about breaks as I had to be during the week, so, 5 minute breaks on occasion turned to 10-15 minute ones. It was alright, though, because we almost always got through all of our assigned material. Now, lunch break was a different matter. The first time I let my class take off for lunch, they went off by themselves. It was supposed to be a one hour lunch break, of course. Well, 1:00 PM turned into 1:30, 1:45, 2:00. Finally, a little after 2:00 my class returned. When I asked one of the students what happened, one of them said "sorry teacher, we were just on Mexico time today." So, after that, I went to lunch with my class and kept them together as a group. Instead of feeling penalized, they loved it. And, I used the time to teach a few lessons not in the book.
My Students
While at CMI, I taught classes of all levels, from beginner to advanced, from niños (children) to adultos (adults). I even got called upon to teach a class in linguistics to a group of teachers. My favorite class of all, I must say, was a group of 10 to 12 year olds. At first, I was not sure I would survive with all the antics that they pulled on me. Most of them wanted to play in class and rarely ever do their homework. Now how does one appeal to a 10 year old to get them to stay to task? Well, I commended them for how intelligent they were. Then, with the more difficult ones, I mentioned how nice it would be to meet their parents and report on their "progress" in my class. Now, the latter choice worked. After that, I never had a bit of trouble. In one of our last classes I asked each of my young charges to write about their favorite place, person, or thing. One of the girls, about 11 at the time, really touched my heart. She got up to describe her favorite person. "My favorite person is my English teacher David. His Spanish is not always the best. But, he is a good teacher and I love him." I think I had a lump in my throat about a mile long that day.
Shopping Conditions
Just like with the buses of Morelia, shopping areas can be overcrowded and a challenge. There was more than one occasion I experienced pushing and shoving (never violent though) to get through to a counter to purchase food or other items. A Mercado (Mexican market) is nothing like the grocery stores I had been used to in the United States. Of course, there are a few supermarket style grocery stores in Morelia that are similar, but, they aren't near as much fun to go to as the Mercados. As I mentioned in one of my previous articles - one can purchase almost anything in a Mercado (hopefully all legal). I used to spend a lot of my free time walking all over El Centro to the various shops and Mercados. I remember buying things from CDs to leather goods to delightful foods I had never experienced before. At my favorite clothing store, Milano's, I was able to buy an entire new wardrobe for less than $150. I found leather jackets and coats at a stall not far from the downtown library for $50 to $75 that would easily cost $400 to $500 in the United States. Morelia has some of the best bargains I have ever found if one is willing to spend the time and energy to look.
Conclusion
Living in a different country with a different language and different customs is not for the faint of heart. This is my point - living in Morelia is different than where you live right now. Some of Morelia is quite modern, other parts are not. One cannot expect conditions to be exactly the same as in the United States or other more modernized countries. But, if you have a sense of adventure and use common sense, you can have a wonderful time and some marvelous experiences. I did. I have memories that will last a lifetime. I met people, saw places and things, learned new things, lived and experienced things that I will always treasure.
When you go to Morelia, go with an open mind. Be willing to learn, live a different lifestyle, experience new things. Above all, use common sense and have humility. If you do, you will have fond, priceless, unique memories that will always hold special meaning for you.
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