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The World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

February 17, 2012 By Danny

In my life I’ve been close to a surprisingly large number of active volcanoes. The first was in Guatemala followed by Volcanoes National Park in Hawai’i. Went and saw the one in Guatemala again and then a few others in Central America before continuing onto Volcanoes all through South America and then a handful more in Africa. All those Volcanoes and one thing I’ve never done is drive into a volcano, but that’s exactly what you can do if you visit the Sulfur Springs of St. Lucia.

It is expected that this volcano will erupt sometime within the next 100 years which in terms of volcanoes is literally any second now. In the meantime you’re welcome to drive on in and once you’re finished there are some hot-springs to rinse your body in and then some mud pits as well. Clearly there is a lot more to holidays in St Lucia than just the beach. I have to laugh at this picture though, as if smoking will somehow ruin the wonderful ‘rotten egg’ smell of all that sulfur.

IF YOU GO: Don’t be afraid to take your time and enjoy this island as well as others. You’ll mostly like find flights to the islands from South Florida (FLL and MIA) but don’t be afraid to head to the docks and find a windjammer to island hop with.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Mary-Lynn via a creative commons license.

Photo: Barbados Buses

December 2, 2011 By Jillian

Did you know Barbados is the 51st richest nation in the world? There must be some serious cash hiding out on the island. Unfortunately I’d have to take a bus to find it all.

With one of the highest literacy rates in the Western Hemisphere and a culture known for its penchant for kindness and hospitality, it’s no wonder that Barbados’ economy is heavily reliant on tourism. Like most Caribbean islands, Barbados was colonized for it’s resources. In 1627 the British arrived and tried to grow cotton. Before long British plantation owners had set up shop growing sugarcane on the island – a profitable practice that continues to this day. Fortunately sugarcane can be distilled into rum, and Barbados, like many other Caribbean islands is known for it’s rum. Holidays in Barbados usually revolve around the ocean, but don’t miss a chance to do some hiking inland. Barbados is actually two coral islands merged together, so under the surface there are a number of caves and underground lakes that would make for a memorable snorkel or dive.

IF YOU GO: Don’t miss scuba diving and snorkeling Barbados’ famous coral reefs. Take some time to explore the island, Bajans are famous for a few delicious dishes like flying fish and pepperpot (watch out it’s spicy!)

Photo courtesy of flickr user OakleyOriginals via a creative commons license.

Photo: Houseboats in Lamu

August 12, 2011 By Jillian

A house boat off of Kenya? Yes, please. The Indian Ocean is deceptively warm, but I wouldn’t mind living on one of these for a few weeks. When we traveled to Lamu, we were greeted by a time warp. The small island felt like a swahili trading post of centuries gone by. That was of course until we noticed all of the internet cafe and souvenir boutique signs. Nevertheless it was a great place to spend a few days. Nothing much to do but to relax, take in the slower pace of island life and enjoy the swahili culture.

I’d still rate it as one of my favorite places to go and relax in the world. Maybe it was the fact that we took two horrendous bus journeys and then a boat to get there, but Lamu felt like a secret island at the end of the road. A pot of gold at the end of a bumpy rainbow if you will. We were relieved to get there and even more happy to immediately feel included and welcomed by our neighbors (we stayed in a private home). The community was incredibly open and inviting and in nearly every shop we were warmly greeted and gratefully shown around. Maybe I should stop writing about it? I hope this place never changes.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Take time to explore the Lamu Museum and Lamu Archipelago by dhow. We took a day and went to Takwa Ruins, which was deserted and made for some very interesting photography. Be sure to watch the tides if you go to Takwa, we were caught having to walk between sandbars back to our boat. Island life is very appealing and there are more islands in the Lamu Archipelago that have hotels if you’re interested in exploring the area a bit more. There’s an airport on the coast, but flights to Lamu aren’t easy to book like corfu flights – they fill up quickly so reserve ahead.

The World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

Photo: Barbados Buses

Photo: Houseboats in Lamu

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