Time to start updating my Travel Adventures blog....

Well it has been a few weeks since I have added a post. Sorry, I have been involved with two other projects. Anyway I will be at it again since I have linked this blog with my Facebook account.I will start going through some of the old photo albums and see what will be next. Maybe some of my Vegas trips or how about Barbados. Yeah, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Not sure right now but I will be getting it all together soon, very soon.
Till next time...Adios!

Favorite island

Out of all the Caribbean islands I have visited, St. Bart's was my fave.... It was everything you picture a tropical island to be. Beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, gentle breezes to keep you cool, palm trees and colorful tropical plants to add some dramatic colors to any scene.

The town of Gustavia had that European panache that makes me want to go back again some day.Even if it is only for a day or two. If you have been there you know exactly what I am talking about.

It's not the Jersey shore, or Jones Beach, or even Hilton Head, or Malibu. It was something more....way more.

Gustavia, I miss you!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Yes Jimmy Buffett fans it was the ultimate Cheeseburger(in paradise). The bar/grill was named Le Select and this is the place that Jimmy had his famous Cheeseburger in Paradise that called for a song named in its honor....Eat you hear out McDonalds, Burger king, Wendy's,etc,etc.....

It was a real hole in the wall kind of place. Open air, windows/doors floor to ceiling , pictures and memorabilia from Jimmy Buffett was everywhere. The outside area was out back and surrounded by a fence. People just sitting around drinking Red stripes, mixed drinks(probably with rum), and enjoying a great burger.....Truly laid back island style.

I used to have a t-shirt from it but it was thrown out a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....It is all just a memory now. But at least I still have the fond memory of being there.

Till next time, adios.....

St. Barts

St. Bart's.
The one place in this world that I have to get back to before my time is up. It was everything that you would expect of a Caribbean island and then some. The St. Jean side of the island had a beautiful bay with white sand beaches, palm trees, and some great beach bars to just lounge around ,soak up some rays, enjoy a rum drink, and watch the scenery.....

I remember taking a ride to the St. Jean side(beach and bay)  driving over a very narrow, twisting, turning road past the airport. The airport is known for its very short runway . The planes have to come in so low that it looks like the cars have to literally duck to get out of their way on their landing approach. If you have a convertible you may be able to count the rivets on the underside of the wing....really.

Well, that just about recounts my one and only day on beautiful St.Bart's. However I did have lunch at a very special bar/pub and that will be my next blog.

Who really reads this?

I guess being so new to this "blogging" thing I am not sure who reads these entries, if anyone reads them at all. As I look at other "blogs" I am amazed when I see one that looks totally lame and they have a ton of followers listed. I have seen  "blogs" about painted plates, religious convictions, clothes, shoes,being an expatriate,pottery, being a homemaker, etc, etc,etc.....Tons of comments and followers..what's up with that?

I guess what I am getting at is how do I build up my travel adventure blog....That is  the question that I am constantly asking myself. Maybe I will figure it out one day soon. I'll wake up one morning and it will hit me like the proverbial flash of light.That light bulb will turn on, kind of like what you see in cartoons with a shining bulb above the main character's head....(ala Charlie Brown)

Well, tomorrow we'll get back to posting travel adventures, but tonight was just a little rambling.......

St. Barts.......

I can honestly say that up to this point in my life I had never seen a more picturesque harbor than Gustavia's.There were small boats of all types at anchor. The sailboats especially made this seem more like a movie set than reality.

After we left the beauty and serenity of Gustavia we journeyed to the other side of St. Barts, the side where the beach was the star. And a bright star she was. Aglow in a mix of tropical sunshine,cream colored sand, and a turquoise blue bay, the beach beckoned all to visit, if only for the day.

I remember this little beach bar where we sipped on a tropical rum drink in between our dives into the crystal blue water.  It was as if Jimmy Buffett himself should have been there playing his guitar, sipping on a fine shot of tequila , and singing to a small  beachcomber audience. It was what I think of when my mind wanders into the Caribbean......more coming soon!

Gustavia:My One Particular Harbor

Gustavia, St. Bart's.....Its memory still brings back the beauty of what I think the Caribbean stands for. The Poly's launches(small boats) ferried us passengers back and forth to all the islands we visited. But none has given me more fond memories than this island and its capital and port, Gustavia.

 Both French and Swedish influences abound on  St. Barts. From the French style police(gendarmes) to the tiny European cars, European architecture,and to the beautiful beaches where skin is in. St. Barts was a welcoming touch of Europe in the Caribbean. After getting our passports stamped by the gendarmes(police) we headed off to explore the town and all it offered.

The scent of a bakery filled the air as we walked down one of the streets to visit the shops that beckoned the tourists. A small delivery van sat parked on the street that looked as if it just came out of an episode of one of the Bourne movies. It surely was not a Ford, Chevy, or even a Nissan.
I do not know what brand it was but it looked very Parisian!

After visiting Gustavia we headed off in a taxi to visit some of the beautiful beaches that St. Bats is known for. We will pick it up from here tomorrow.

On to St. Kitts

St. Kitts was another of the islands that the Poly took us to. A beautiful island indeed . But what I mostly remember was Brimstone Hill, the British built fortress know as the Gibraltar of the West Indies. It is the largest fort in the eastern Caribbean and is also a Unesco World Heritage site. It was impressive and had an outstanding view. You can see why the British chose it for its location.

I also remember driving through small towns in a small van with fellow passengers on our way to the fort and back. In one town we passed through the villagers were actually slaughtering a steer or cow that was hung up from a tree. After seeing that , being a vegetarian seems a lot more acceptable...

The Poly trip

The cruise on the Poly was in many ways different from the Fantome. First off ,the island were totally different. All were much larger with more to see and do than on the Bahama's Out Islands.

All the islands we visited-St.Martin, St. Kitts, Saba, and St.Eustasius(Statia), and St. Barts were true tourist attractions. They all had historical structures to visit, forts etc... But that was not all. While St.Martin and St.Barts are true Caribbean vacation destinations with their beaches, shopping, and bars/restaurants Saba and Statia were not. At least back then.

Saba was beautiful. Very mountainous with no real beach. It is a volcanic rock. The roads were very narrow. Kind of like what you see in a Tour de France bike race without all the people. I remember getting a taxi at the docks, a VW bus, with a few of my fellow passengers and taking a hair raising ride up narrow, winding roads through the mountains. The town we visited was very tiny from what I can remember. The hotel where we stopped to eat was cozy , intimate,with a pool that had a view to die for.

There were a couple of shops where the locals made beautiful handicrafts for sale. It was a nice island to escape civilization for sure. It you wanted nightlife and bars, well this island is not for you.

More on this island and others in my next post.

Black Friday respite

Well I hope everyone had a great turkey day. It was a good start to a four day weekend. Something we can all use a little more of.

Well my next cruise was on the Fantome's sister ship, the S.V. Polynesia(Poly). She was built in 1938 and was one of the last of the great Portuguese Grand Banks fleet. Beautifully refurbished and renamed the" Poly" by Windjammer she was a sight for any sailor's eyes.

For this cruise we stayed a couple of days in Phillipsburg, Saint Martin awaiting our departure. The Dutch side of this beautiful island is incredible with gorgeous beaches and great tropical scenery. Phillipsburg is a wonderful place with some excellent bars and restaurants and duty free shops.

While our departure was not nearly as dramatic as our leaving Nassau on the Fantome it still made for an incredible, almost movie like beginning to a great Caribbean adventure. I will have more on it later....

Windjammin' winds down

The first Windjammer vacation proved that adventure is what you make it. From the pre-cruise party and dinner aboard the historic and beautifully restored tall ship Fantome in Nassau to visiting four Out Islands and winding up in Freeport. It was a little bit of adventure, escapism, and
pure fun.

In fact it was so much fun that I would do it all over again aboard the S.V. Polynesia and visit some of the Caribbean's most beautiful and exotic islands. Unfortunately for all of us adventure seekers the Windjammer cruise ships no longer survive. A loss for every adventure seeking pirate out there.

I can feel fortunate for being a passenger and an admirer....

Where's my dramamine

On one of the Bahamas Out Islands we stopped at for the day all was going well till a pitch-black sky started to form on the horizon.Captain Jones had informed all the passengers that if a storm arose word would be sent to the island that they should return to the Fantome ASAP. It is much safer for the ship to be out in deeper, navigable waters than close to shore in shallow waters.

Three of the passengers on our cruise never got word to return to the ship and were left on one of the islands. Excuse me if I cannot remember which island as this cruise was a long time ago. But 2 men and a lady were left on the island with no way off. Yes they were.I am not making this up as if it was some kind of adventure novel. We did not meet up with them again till I saw them at the airport in Freeport. In good spirits,ok and joking about it.  They said they went back to the bar on the island and met up with some drug runners who gave them cash to catch an inter-island flight back to Freeport.
They said the guys were cool and fun to be with once they knew you were not after them.....

I can still remember vividly the sky and how black it was. The Captain was nervous about how long it was taking to get everyone back to the Fantome so he lowered his small speedboat into the water and came back to get the rest of the passengers back aboard safely. I was one of the lucky ones to get on the last ride off the island. There were at least 6 to 8 passengers on the small speedboat as we headed back to the Fantome. We sat on the deck, bow, wherever we could clutching to handrails for dear life(almost).

It was truly a wild experience. I have often wondered though what it would have been like meeting up with the "cocaine cowboys". Maybe my career choices would have changed, who knows.....

Bahamas Out Islands

That first Windjammer cruise was a wonderful experience. We visited four islands plus Nassau and Freeport. Some of the islands were very small, really off the radar. And I do literally do mean off the radar.

On Gorda Cay we were treated to a spaghetti luncheon on the beach. I remember going snorkeling in the crystal clear waters and seeing barracudas come swimming up between us to check  out what was going on. A little nerve wracking at first but after the swam by you and left you alone it was pretty cool. While we(the passengers) were enjoying lunch a small plane circled around a few time to see what was going on. Some of the crew members said it was just the "ganja" planes making sure all was cool before they landed.

I remember on Spanish Wells there was this little hole-in-the wall bar/restaurant called Walton's Langousta Bar. I don't know how many customers they had in a day but I am sure the Fantome's passengers made up for the lack of islanders when we stopped by.

I will account for the crazy and hurried evacuation from one of the islands due to a major thunderstorm in my next blog. Adios......

Windjammin'

I would have to say that two of the best vacations I ever had when I was single was with the Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. I cruised with them twice. The first time was aboard the S.V. Fantome and the second time was aboard the S.V. Polynesia(the Poly).

The Fantome sadly sank a few years ago during a Hurricane in the western Caribbean with about 30 crew members aboard. She was the flagship of their small but beautiful fleet. She was 282' long with a sparkling white and blue hull and four masts that proudly showed off her 13 sails when underway. Originally built for the Duke of Westminster. She was purchased by Aristotle Onassis as a gift for Princess Grace and Prince Ranier. Fully refurbished she was ready for her life in the Caribbean. The Fantome accommodated 126 passengers who would set sail for adventure.

The captain for the Fantome was Wynn Jones who looked and acted the part of a rogue sailor. Long straggly,blond hair and a pair of sideburns commonly referred to as pork chops.With his English accent he could have played a part in any one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

When we left our port of call ,Nassau that July of 1981,there were at least 3 other cruise ships docked. They were the real cruise ships. Huge ships catering to hundreds, probably thousands of travelers who wanted nothing to do with a small sailboat. Ah, but this small sailboat was only for the hearty and adventurous vacationer. As we (the crew and passengers) prepared the Fantome to leave port, the Captain turned up the ships stereo full blast as we hoisted the sails to Amazing Grace. What a sight it was . Literally hundreds of the cruise ship passengers clung to the handrails to watch us get underway. A flashback to the day when sails not steam ruled the oceans.

To this day I have always remembered the feeling that song evoked as we left port and headed out to sea. There were four Bahamas Out Islands awaiting this adventurous crew and we'll have more on that tomorrow.