Pops Top Ten Most Memorable Moments in The Carribean
Jan 03 '09
The Bottom Line Our Top-Ten-Memories will stay with us forever. Let me share them with you. These are places anyone can go to. Perhaps you will bring home a Top Ten Memory Too.
In the past ten years my wife and I have been fortunate to visit the Caribbean some 20 times. Each or our trips brought special memories of particular moments. Today I attempt to post our most favorite Ten Magical Moments in the Caribbean. It wasn't an easy task because there has been so much that has touched our lives and we will never forget. So, here are our top ten favorite and most memorable moments and places in the Caribbean.
Rick's Cafe Negril, Jamaica
As a destination one of our three trips to Jamaica we stayed in a Sandals on Negril's famous Seven Mile Beach. One late afternoon we broke away from that incredible views of that beach and boarded a catamaran for a cruise toward town and moored just off the coast of Negril's West End cliffs. We first snorkeled a bit off the boat. Afterward we went onto the cliffs themselves. High atop is a very popular place by the name of Rick's Cafe. Of course you know the name from the film Casablanca. Though the place was crowded with tourist brought in by boat and land, it was a happening place. I recall sitting there having drinks and checking out a most beautiful view to the west. Rick's is known for it's incredible sunset views though we caught ours on a dancin', drinkin' and fun-time catamaran cruise back to Seven Mile Beach.
We were there early enough to watch the brave, but my wife thought crazy, divers who took the leap from a 35 foot cliff into the blue waters of the protected cove below. Applause and cheers went to those fools. I mean brave men. In fact my wife had to keep me from trying the same. I wouldn't have tried a dive but I would have jumped.
Though two hurricanes totally destroyed Rick's it's back and supposedly bigger and better than ever.
That was a memorable side trip that I'll never forget. Probably best I didn't take that leap myself. Perhaps the memory would have only been hers.
Altos De Chavon
Altos De Chavon is situated on a plateau that has become the heart of a Caribbean arts center, I was amazed at what I saw my first time there. I thought I was in a European medieval village with stone buildings, narrow walkways and flowers growing from every and any window sill and courtyard.
It seems that Altos De Chavon was an idea brought to reality where young local and international artists could learn their trades and both sell and display them. The design of a Medieval village was built in the early 1970s. One would believe they were elsewhere. We could have been in Italy, France, or Spain during the Middle Ages. It's that authentic looking!
High above the surrounding lowlands on this high plateau is the Church of St. Stanislaus that was closed the day we were there. The views from this area are exceptional.
My wife and I paid for a private tour of about an hour and then had a couple more hours of free time. We strolled the streets, looked at the artwork and made our way to the 5,000 seat amphitheater. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It reminded me of the Roman Coliseum in its scale and feel. We were the only ones there at the time and made some exciting photographs. Ha, my wife has one of me up on stage looking like Luciano Pavarotti entertaining the multi-levels of empty rows of stone seats. Pops as Pavarotti. That image we still laugh about when we look at it in our album.
Vieques, Mosquito Bay! Huh, How Can That Be Memorable?
One Highlight of our trip to Vieques was a tour of Mosquito Bay, thankfully no insects were there to bother us but we did deal with one celled creatures called bioluminescent dinoflagellates. This was an amazing tour of what is more commonly known as Bio-Bay. We went out on a boat into a bay that has one of the best environments in the world for these creatures and the effects are wondrous. As you swim in the waters on a moonless night or a cloudy night the waters around your body glow brightly. Every time you come in contact with the one celled animal/plants they glow. There are over three quarter of a million in just one gallon of the water in this bay. You can even see fish as they leave a glowing trail as they swim in the waters. As you raise your hand out of the water first the glow washes down the arm and then individual bright little spots can be seen trickling down the arm and into the water. This was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget. It was MAGICAL!
Snorkeling Around Waterlemon Key, St John USVI
We did this site a few times over the years. In fact one memory is embedded in my wife's knee. We were making the half mile walk to the area when she fell and scraped her knee pretty bad. After a bit of bathing it in the waters. (No sharks were attracted) we continued on. She now has three small scars she calls the US Virgin Islands. They depict St Thomas, St John and St Croix, three island we happen to love visiting.
On a previous visit to Waterlemon Key we decided not to walk the long trek around a cove to get to it. Instead we went for the long swim to it. It was memorable and I know a little scary. The waters were calm enough but the seabed disappeared from view and we were out in open waters for a while. All was rewarded when we finally saw the walls of sand below come up toward us with the largest star fish we ever saw. We also got to see sea horses and squid. As we made our way around the island we were also rewarded with views of sting rays, sea turtles and barracuda. At another point we swam into a huge school of tiny fish that took us perhaps a minute to swin through! This was one sensational snorkeling outing that we will never forget.
Swimming with the Sting Rays Cayman Islands
We took a boat tour to get to Stingray City when in the Cayman Islands. I wasn't quite sure what the experience would be like. We happened to be with a few of our friends who we visited who happened to be staying on the island when we were there. That was memorable in itself. An in-joke we always recall is Marisa in her velvet pants sunning on the beach. I digress.
When we got to Stingray City, I better understood the name. It was a busy, crowded place with perhaps twenty small boats circling a piece of sandbar in the middle of the bay. Our first encounter with these beautiful creatures was amazing. The gals screamed like little girls when the stingrays first touched them. We guys were much more manly. ; ) We fed them some squid our guide supplied us with. The mouths of the creatures took the food and sucked it in like a strong vacuum. It was weird. We all posed for shots kissing the stingrays, holding them and my wife even had one over her shoulders.
It was a wonderful encounter for all of us. I believe the mixture of not knowing what it would be like interacting with these magnificent creatures so intimately and experiencing it all as a group added to the fun. We all will remember that day well.
St John's, St Thomas and St Croix USVI By Car, On Our Own
Though my wife and I enjoy resorts on beautiful beaches with all the amenities they offer we also like to get out on our own. We did just that on three different rips to the US Virgin Islands with one stay each in St Thomas, St John and St Croix. We rented cars on the islands, picked up a map and explored on our own.
St Thomas is the more populated, crowded and popular of the three destinations. We did get away from it all by driving up into the hills high above the beaches. We were rewarded with incredible views and off beat places to visit. Megan's Bay from up atop those mountains is a magnificent site to behold. We were also able to scout some of the coastline but best reward of shoreline travel belongs to St John.
St John thankfully is mostly US National Park. That means no major construction, few crowds and much more pristine shoreline beaches. The roads on this hilly island are also an adventure in themselves.
My wife and I spent days just driving, finding a beach and discovering little grottoes and bays on our own. W3 would pull off to the side of the road, take out our beach chairs (yes we brought them on the plane) and lay out in the sun and/or snorkeled the beaches without others in site. We found great little nothing places to eat where we could have our toes in the sand and enjoy a good cold beer. Ah yes!
St Croix was different from the other two islands. It has both a dry side like desert and the other has a rain forest. We navigated from one end of the island to the other on the 72 mile Heritage Trail discovering places like the most eastern tip of the US at Point Udall, to the rain forest, to forts and past distilleries. We spent time having lunch an snorkeling in Frederiksted and did nights in Christiansted, the two towns that bookend the trail. Though we stayed at the popular and beautiful Buccaneer Hotel we enjoyed our side trips immensely.
Sunday Mass in St Croix
One day when we were in St Croix my wife made a call to an acquaintance she knew through our church in the states that was from St Croix. The next thing ya know we were invited to visit them at their church the next morning. WOW! This too was a Catholic Church but it was more like the Charismatic church of the Catholic church that my wife and I favour in relation to worship. The music was spiritual and upbeat with the sounds of vibrant voices singing praise and backed up with drums, guitars, tambourines and a tuba.The sermon was uplifting, and the people truly joyful! It was one of those special moments that come too infrequently at times. After mass we joined in a procession that looped around the church offering commanding views of the grounds below.
Afterward we were given a tour of other buildings on the grounds and we were taken to beautiful chapel inside a sugar mill ruin. The small mill windows were done in stained glass and the feeling within brought prayerful peace to me. That morning was another memory that will never be forgotten.
Searching For Conch off Turks and Caicos
Last winter, less than a year ago, my wife and I flew to Turks and Caicos. It's southwest of the Bahamas and North of Puerto Rico. It's another group of islands that is blessed with incredible beaches and fine snorkeling. I have to say the the colours of Grace Bay Beach are memorable in itself. We stayed on that beach and the views were perfect, the people congenial and the food excellent. We did have one particular memory that I'm sure will only grow as we move on in years.
We went conch hunting. Now these are creatures that don't bite, don't move much and are basically harmless. Even so we had a great time "hunting" them. We took a half day trip on a boat enjoying the views and doing some snorkeling. At one point we pulled up to shallow waters and were given the task of catching lunch. If we got the conch the mates would prepare them for lunch. I was eager for both parts of the deal as was my wife. The other people were reluctant to join in the search so after a very short while it was just me and my better half diving under the water searching for the illusive creatures.
The conch we searched for aren't like the dead shells you see resting on the sandy bottoms. No, these live creatures are camouflaged in seaweed and are partially buried. My wife and I did well getting about three or four each. We boarded the boat, were given a demonstration on how to clean conch and then hit a nearby beach where we walked around and sunned while the mated prepared the conch salad that we all enjoyed. It was a good day!
Swimming and Exploring the Baths of BVI
One year when on St Thomas we elected to take a trip to Virgin Gorda British Virgin Islands and the famous Baths. They are known for the setting of boulders in the shore line. When you look out onto the beach the dramatic look of the rocks is amazing. Huge granite boulders, some as wide and tall as 40' are in a jumbled setting of one on top of another and others leaning on each other. One can walk through the opening between them finding quiet settings of shaded sand and warm knee high sections of seawater. It's a glorious place to be listening to the small waves wash through the boulders and seeing beams of sunlight penetrate the darkness below. It's a magical place.
We took advantage of having our snorkeling gear and circled around the boulders seaside. The sea creatures and plant life were different than what I experienced before. I was able to easily free dive to different depths and see see life in a different environment than what I usually can find on sea bottoms. It was also quite cool making our way through the maze of boulders and rocks navigating our way from one area to the next. I hope to return to the BVI Baths some day. If not the embedded memories will do.
Akumel; Mexico, The Place Of the Turtles
My wife and I have been to Mexico's Yucatan coast on the Caribbean a number of times discovering Cozumel, the nightlife of Play del Carmen, the ancient ruins of Tulum right on the coast and water sactuary/parks like Xcaret, and exploring sleepy little fishing vllages as we did in Costa Maya's Majahual. It's all been great but one place that we discovered was Akumel, The Place of the Turtles.
We booked a snorkeling outing from our resort. We were taken off shore to points south of where we were. We had an amazing snorkeling experience. We were just off the beaches of Akumel. My wife spent nearly an hour with three sea turtles she called the mama, the papa, and the baby. They stayed in the one area as she moved around and above them. I caught a bit of the show but was mesmerized by some of the other sea life shows slightly further out to sea. The fish and plant life were thriving! This was the best snorkeling we ever found in Mexico! We had to go back. In doing so we also discovered that Yal Ku Lagoon, The poor man's Xel-Ha, was also in this town.
We booked a cab and were taken to its gates. We found a small, almost private wonderland of lagoon and island with statues standing guard and beautiful views below. We spent a few hours there in very calm protected waters discovering the nuances of an Eco system with both seas water and fresh water clashing. It was a wonderful experience for the two of us.
Once again we discovered another special place to enter into our top ten favorite and most memorable moments in the Caribbean.
Honorable Mention
I do have to add three other places to our top ten experiences in the Caribbean. One was our swimming with eight and nine foot reef sharks in the Bahamas. That was memorable but it's the one thing, thinking in hindsight, that I will never do again. We were in the water with these sharks, about twenty of them, that were bigger than me and brushing up against us. After we were all aboard the mates threw in food for them. When I saw them in a feeding frenzy I realized what a crazy deed we did. We also heard of report of a swimmer getting killed by a shark in waters not all that far away the very next day. Never again!! But, I will always remember.
Our other two top ten destinations in the Caribbean would both be in Puerto Rico, doing our own trip to El Yunque by car. It's a true rainforest and US National Site atop the mountains that was viewable by car and short walks from it. We did take one longer walk that became our special memory. We hiked to La Mina Falls. It was a gorgeous place to be! We took a brief swim and made our way back. I loved the feeling of being in the rain forest with few others hiking and discovering those falls.
On that same trip we explored Old San Juan That too was very special as we walked to El Morro National Historic Site, discovered the quaint side streets of the old town and ate at one of the most memorable places we have ever dined. Ha, the only problem is we never took note as to the name of the place. It was off Christo St where El Convento Hotel is. Old San Juan has a special feel that is hard to compare to. It simply left another top ten memory.
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