Caribbean trips

Houses of Parliament in London

2010-04-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Since 1512 the Palace of Westminster has been the seat of the two Houses of Parliament called the Lords and the Commons is made up of of elected Members of Parliament (MPs) of different political parties; the party with the most MPs forms the Goverment, and it`s leaders becomes Prime Minister. Mps from other parties make up the opposition. Commons`debate can become hated and are impartially chaired bu an MP designated as Speaker. The commons formulates legislation which is first debated in both Houses before becoming law.

The mock-Gothic building was designed by Victorian architect Sir Charles Barry. Victoria Tower, on the left, contains 1.5 millons Acts of Parliament passed since 1497.

Eyewitness Travel Guides, London

Travelers: "Roatan is a Paradise!"

2009-06-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

We spent a week at Henry Morgan just before Christmas from Dec 12-19 and we loved it. The hotel has a beautiful, colourful lobby area where guests mingle and relax, the beach is amazing, and the people are awesome.

Roatan itself has such charm. It truly feels like you're on a little island paradise. Both my boyfriend and I are not huge resort type people, we like to experience the local way of life in out-of-the-way destinations. We travel quite often too so we have a good sense of whats out there.

The residents of Roatan were very nice including some local Canadian transplants that inspired us to perhaps come back again and stay! The diving is beautiful although we didn't dive as much as we should have, but TGI diving within Henry Morgan is great and easygoing- whenever you want to go, you just sign up and show up (once you register).

Also, you have to check out the little submarine in West End, it was built by an expat who will take you to 2500 ft for $500...next time we're going for sure (well at least I am). You can see it from the bar Sundowner's on the beach, there's a huge sign, Go Deeper.

Henry Morgan itself is nice but the food is not so great. A bit better than Cuba although some people really liked it. But, I'm a bit of a foodie, so.... Also, if you get hungry between meals you have to go off the resort to eat as there is nothing available. We didn't mind and actually we ate off the resort a couple of times. For my birthday we had an AMAZING dinner out (just down the beach towards Bananarama) at a little restaurant, set back a bit, called VINTAGE PEARL. The food was unbelievable. I had duck and he had lobster. The live jazz was great and I think I had the best waiter I've ever had in my life (also an expat from Canada). We actually closed the bar with them.

To address the bug problem. No see ums can be bad especially at dusk and dawn but some friends we met gave us a tip they got from locals....a mixture of baby oil and camphor. They use this even on their young children to prevent bites! Good to know for next time. The bugs are not as bad as some people claim though and they are attracted to some people more than others. If you protect yourself, you're ok, but try not to use chemicals like Deet. It is a marine protected area and we want to preserve the reef for a long time to come.

All in all, the highlights were definitely the people, the snorkeling right off the beach (what a stunning reef!), the diving, the dolphin encounter at Anthony's Key (they are in a natural area and appear very well taken care of- not too touristy), the submarine (although we didn't go this time), the food off the resort, the people, and Sundowners (local bar). Next time for sure we'll try Hole in the Wall too!

Hope it helped! Happy travels!!!

From : Tripadvisor.com (SandraPaglione )

Roatan, a hidden paradise in Central America!

2009-05-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

Th eBay Islands of Honduras offer a very different world from that of mainland Honduras. The Islands history, which include many disputes between the Spaniards and the British during colonial times, with the British actually controlling the islands a unique heritage. The are several islands within the department, with three larger ones being the most popular with tourists: Utila, Roatan and Guanaja. English is so widely spoken in the Islands, the some people don’t even speak Spanish, despite the fact that this is the oficial lenguaje of Honduras.

Getting to the islands is an easy task these days: Islena Airlines, Sosa Airlines and Atlantic Airlines have service to all three major islands on a regular basis, in addition, Roatan has ferry, both of these from La Ceiba. For Shedules you can check our section at the front of this guide.

Of the three islands, the largest, and most developed for tourism is Roatan. Roatan is a long island, measuring almost 40 miles in length and with a total landmass of 49 Square miles. The island has a mountainous backbone and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, ofering superb diving as well as excelent fishing.

More info: Guajira

The Channel of Guajira

2009-02-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

Panama, a great country to discover.

2008-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

While Panama is known mostly for its famous canal, the country's natural attractions offer an irresistible lure to far-sighted travelers. This oft-overlooked country offers some of the finest birding, snorkeling and hiking in the Americas.
Panama's charms include its stunning coastline of palm-fringed beaches, its astounding wildlife - boasting an incredible diversity of tropical birds - and its proud, vibrant indigenous peoples, such as the Kuna. While in Panama, you'll find it hard to shake the inescapable feeling that you're in on a secret the rest of the traveling world has yet to discover. (lonelyplanet.com, 2008)

Panama is provided with varied climates during the year, a temperature divided equally very agreeable, big diversity of historical and natural attractions for the Ecotourism and Tourism ventures. Neither we can stop mentioning the Canal of Panama: called the eighth marvel of the world

Playa del Carmen

2008-05-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

The once sleepy village of Playa del Carmen doubled twice in population in the last few years, mainly due to Europeans who discovered the alabaster-white beaches, gentle surf, coral reefs and slow lifestyle were the equal of the more expensive island of Cozumel just across the straits. Playa's dock is the pier for the 'people ferry' to Cozumel, so it's only a short trip over to snorkel or dive on Cozumel's incredible coral reefs.

The strong foriegn influence has created a unique vagabond traveler ambiance. Numerous outrageously delicious restaurants provide sustenance and several foreign-owned hotels raise the standards of service to exacting levels. Combine that with a relaxed Mexican-Caribbean feeling and a sprinkling of American free- spirits and you've got Playa. It's definitely not the place to 'get away,' but it is a place to enjoy marvelous beaches by day and a lively nightlife in the evening. The mix of backpackers, archeological buffs and New Age sun worshippers makes Playa very interesting and worth some time. (playadelcarmen.com, 2008)

The Caribbean!. Vacations & Travel

2008-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Caribbean is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of North America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. Also called the West Indies, since Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 believing he was in India, the region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas. Geopolitically, the West Indies are usually reckoned as a subregion of North America and are organised into 28 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. At one time, there was a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories.

The Caribbean islands are an island chain 4,020 kilometres (2,500 mi) long and no more than 257 kilometres (160 mi) wide at any given point. They enclose the Caribbean Sea.
The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of European contact. In the English-speaking Caribbean, someone from the Caribbean is usually referred to as a "West Indian," although the phrase "Caribbean person" is sometimes used.

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The climate of the region is tropical but rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents (cool upwellings keep the ABC islands arid). Warm, moist tradewinds blow consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous islands. Occasional northwesterlies affect the northern islands in the winter. Winters are warm, but drier.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean.
Hurricanes, which at times batter the region, usually strike northwards of Grenada, and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. (Wikipedia.com, 2008)