Mar 17, 2012 - Kingstown, St. Vincent

*one of our favorite islands *a volcanic island (La Soufriere last erupted in 1979) *the largest in the chain of 32 islands and cays *made up of steep mountain ridges and lush valleys; the most rugged island we've seen! *very British; gained independence in 1979 *named by Columbus in 1493 (he sure got around!) *movie Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp was filmed here *the 'Vincys' are a very friendly people *capital city is Kingstown, home of the first botanical gardens in the Western Hemisphere, (1762) *Endemic endangered national...

Jul 25, 2011 - Below the Hurricane Belt

Hi - Such sad news from Norway. ---------- This area of the Caribbean is quite beautiful. But you don't have to come here to see it. Just rent a video of Pirates of the Caribbean and you'll get the picture. Much of the series was filmed in this general area. But you'll miss the smells of salt, curry, barbecue, and plantain. And you'll miss meeting the people. Some of you know that in much of the world there are hotels with a specially reserved Geezer Suite. The Suite is usually a small room, without adequate heat, A/C or ventilation, and a...