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You are here: Home / Archives for islands

Discover Grenada

June 12, 2011 By Guest Blogger

Grenada is often an over looked island in the Caribbean, but it couldn’t be a better place for the holiday of a lifetime! Packed with strange, exciting and unforgettable things to see and do – it is a great place to explore and a brilliant alternative to the usual holiday package. Pack an underwater camera and some walking boots to go with that bikini and save plenty of room to bring back some of the islands specialties.

We’ve all done the obligatory museum visits on holiday to make ourselves feel less guilty about ignoring the local culture and lying on the beach with our eyes closed, but in Grenada you’ll find a sculpture museum definitely worth leaving your sun lounger for! In fact, it’s even on a beach, so you can still enjoy the sand between your toes.

Grenada’s underwater sculpture park in Moilinere Bay is filled with 65 sculptures ranging from figures based on the island’s men and women to typewriters, kitchen utensil and bicycles which were designed to create an artificial reef to attract sea life to the bay. You can visit the eerie yet unforgettable scenes either by snorkelling, scuba diving or taking a trip in a glass-bottom boat and there are plenty of guides to take you down if you prefer.

Lively tourists will love Grenada because once you’ve acclimatised to the gorgeous weather you can begin exploring some of this Caribbean Islands hidden gems. Don your walking boots (or comfortable sandals) and lather on the sun cream for a hike through the rainforest of Grand Etang National Forest. Treks can last from 15 minutes to 5 or 6 hours, so there is something to suit everyone! Head to the beautiful Grand Etang Lake to cool off or take a dip under the Seven Sisters Waterfalls a little further on.

Hiking in the Jungle

For those of us who need a few days off after a day of hiking up Grenada’s mountains and waterfalls, (or who need to load up on energy beforehand), a leisurely visit to the Grenada Chocolate Company is a must. See how the cocoa is grown, how the beans are fermented and how the chocolate is finally made – and buy some to take home!

Drinks

Grenada is also famous for its rum so make sure you leave time for a visit to the rum distillery at River Antoine on the north east coast.  The way they make rum here hasn’t changed for generations so not only will you be amazed by their techniques, the people and the scenery, but you’ll also get the chance to sample a cheeky taste of rum too.

Make your camera work harder this summer and have an unforgettable adventure in Grenada!

Author: James is a keen travel writer who writes about the Caribbean and other exotic destinations.

Photo credit: #1-The Grenada Collection, #2 and 3- ishouldlogoff!

Thanks to James for today’s guest post.  If you’re interested in guest blogging for IShouldLogOff, email us at info [at] ishouldlogoff.com. Thank!

Filed Under: Caribbean, Destinations, Headline Tagged With: beach, hiking, islands, underwater museum

A non-cliché trip to Tenerife

May 9, 2011 By Guest Blogger

When you think of a holiday to Tenerife, what comes to mind? Family holiday …beaches …karaoke??

We all know that holidays in Tenerife can get a bit stereotypical with everyone going to the same resorts and attractions. In really popular areas, the majority of people speak English and are probably British – you might even spot someone that you know! Is that really a holiday? Seeing sun burnt British tourists and eating fish and chips?

Tenerife does have so much more to offer though and there is some great advice out there about how to find the real Tenerife.

Visiting La Gomera would be a good start. It’s away from all the loud, commercialized parts of Tenerife. It’s a very historic area with steep hills and valleys, so it’s not advised to bring children along unless they are into nature and the romans. If you have kids you can bring them to Garajonay National Park where they can explore. Getting to La Gomera is pretty easy. From the airport you can drive to Los Cristianos harbour where you catch a ferry to La Gomera and on the way, who knows, you might even spot a dolphin or two!

Next up is the botanical gardens in Puerto de La Cruz. It’s a very calm environment, ideal for those who like to hear themselves think for a few hours. It’s the complete opposite to the rest of Tenerife – no out of tune karaoke singing or drunkards staggering in the streets to be found here! Just a relaxing garden, with towering trees that act as a roof and the beautiful sound of splashing water from the fountains.

If you’ve had enough of the historical and calm part of the island, then why not get involved with the locals! There are annual festivals where people celebrate various events such as religious events and ancient traditions. The theatres reflect the Spanish culture by entwining modern day traditions with the old ones so that tourists can get lost in it all.

The perfect end to your Tenerife holiday is by watching the sun set on the horizon with a loved one. Some may think it’s boring, but you will find it is a lot more therapeutic than you think.

Author: Alex is an enthusiastic travel writer who specialises in Tenerife and other Spanish destinations.

Thanks to Alex for today’s guest post.  If you’re interested in guest posting with IShouldLogOff, email us at info [at] ishouldlogoff.com.  Thanks!

Filed Under: Destinations, Europe, Headline, Spain Tagged With: islands, off the beaten path

In love with Lamu

April 12, 2010 By Jillian

33 hours after leaving Kampala we arrived in Lamu cranky, exhausted and rattled to the bone. Fortunately we had a nice place to stay courtesy of Nikki’s professor, and dropping our bags in his kitchen we felt an instant wave of relief.

On the northern coast of Kenya, Lamu embodies traditional swahili culture, and stepping onto the island is almost like stepping into a different world. Donkey’s bray, men call out to each other in Kiswahili, Arabic and English, trading and inviting you into their shop with a genuine smile and a welcoming hello. Traditional Swahili homes covered in coral, stone and white plaster form two story walls that shelter passersby in the shade and bathe them in geometric patterns of sunlight. We had never been to Lamu before, but we felt comfortable, like we were at home.

Immediately having felt so welcomed, we weren’t surprised when we were approached by Ali Hippy, an infamous presence to tourists on the island. As he always notes, he is listed in that dreaded guidebook- lonely planet. Inviting us to his home for a traditional swahili meal, for a price of course, and some entertainment, we hesitantly agreed and forked over our cash for a meal the next evening. Sure enough, he took us to the “coconut beach” where his family lived and where we found a multi-course seafood buffet prepared. Small dishes of lobster, prawns and chapati, tuna and coconut rice delighted our tastebuds. As the meal wound down and Ali Hippy started to sing, the neighborhood children wandered in to join. Full of music and the scent of swahili food, the evening was a delight and we walked home that night with fully bellies and happy hearts.

Enchanted by the atmosphere and the island around us we spent our time in Lamu wandering the maze of streets, exploring the beaches and getting to know our neighbors. The silversmith who lived next door made jewelry out of old pottery that often washes up on shore, leaving us with an empty wallet and a jewelry box full of beautiful pieces. We shared fruit with our neighbors and curious about the food we had eaten at Ali Hippy’s wrote down recipes from the home’s care taker. With him we shared delicious red snapper, happy conversation and many laughs. Every time Danny would return from the market the care taker would ask how much Danny had paid for whatever item. Inevitably this became a joke, with Danny consistently paying nearly double the local price, until one afternoon when Danny produced what he thought was a bag of peanuts. To his chagrin the rest of us immediately recognized a bag of beans, not peanuts. Laughing, Danny asked how much the bag of beans should cost. To his surprise, we were told 40 shillings. Danny had only paid 35. It was a victory, if his only one.

Lamu and its surrounding islands were important trading posts on the Indian Ocean trade route, giving rise a few centuries ago to a Swahili trading empire along the coast of present day Kenya and Tanzania. Trading ivory, mangrove wood, and slaves, Lamu flourished as a trading center in19th century drawing Arab, Indian and even East Asian traders to its shores. Surviving from the height of its prominence in the 19th century are intricately carved doors and furniture,the patterns of which are still replicated today in jewelry boxes, door frames, furniture, and even board games. We were in awe of the beautiful wood carvings, so much so that we had a special boa board crafted for us by a neighborhood carpenter.

Like Zanzibar, Lamu’s mix of cultures survives today, giving the place an air of exoticness. Sailing through mangroves towards Swahili ruins on a nearby island, I felt like we were in a secret world. Completely alone at the Takwa ruins, not a single other tourist in sight, we explored the ancient coral structures and sat for a long time on the beach watching pink crabs scurry about. It was practically perfect, a blissful place removed from the chaos of our world.

It is hard to top off a visit like ours to Lamu. For our last evening in Lamu, we were invited to the home of Nikki’s professors friend, a local born and raised in Lamu. Having spent a fun afternoon with his wife and two small children at the Takwa ruins, we were looking forward to an evening with the whole family. Over a delicious spread of stews, prawns, rices, cakes, beans and tamarine juice (a new favorite!) we discussed ideas, politics and the world. Sharing our ideas, perspectives and experiences was a wonderful cultural experience, which further reinforced that we are all the same, same, but different. It is a memory we will always treasure from a place it will be hard to forget.

Filed Under: Africa, Food, Headline, History & Culture, Kenya Tagged With: cultures, islands, people, sharing, travel

Finally, there are penguins!

August 27, 2009 By Jillian

Full of Pisco and sand, we headed out at dawn the next morning to Paracas, home to one of the best marine reserves in South America. Piling into our speedboat at 7am, the tour guide narrated a short history of the area in both Spanish and English as we pulled out to sea. Our first stop was the Candelabra, an etching in the earth not unlike the Nasca lines. I’ll hold to my original statement about the Nasca lines, the size would have been much more impressive from the ground. The Candelabra, though not nearly as large as most of the Nasca figures, has an equally mysterious history. According to our guide, the lines could be a part of the Paracas culture, which was hundreds of years before the Nascas, or part of a modern monument to San Martin, the liberator of Peru. Who knows.

The islands themselves are covered in every kind of sea bird imaginable. From guano birds (seriously, thats what they’re called- you can imagine why) to huge pelicans and peruvian boobies. Huge flocks of birds flew between and around the islands and for a moment I felt like I was in an Alfred Hichcock film.

Heading closer to the islands right away we spotted penguins!  If you´ve been following along with us you know how excited I was to see the monkeys in Costa Rica, lets just say the feeling was similar.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBfjTYL0L2U

Watching the penguins on the nearest cliff was like being at the zoo, except 100000 times better.  Unlike the monkeys,the penguins were totally not interested in us and paid us no attention at all.  I realize we are probably going to see penguins in southern Chile and Argentina, but I had no idea the  penguins were in Peru so the surprise of seeing them totally made my day!

Besides the penguins, which were really the animals that interested us the most, the islands are home to a huge colony of sea lions.  After swimming with them in Mexico it was um… relaxing…just to see them lay on the rocks from the boat instead of watching them zip through the water inches away! 

The islands were gorgeous and truly teaming with life, but our guide kept reminding us that these were the Galapagos of Peru.  I sure hope not because the islands were covered in bird poop.  It was an assault on the sense when the wind blew from the islands instead of the sea.  ewwww…….  Fortunately every 7 years the locals come to clean the islands, using the bird poop as fertilizer.  According to our guide it takes 100 people 7-8 months to clean the islands.  Can you imagine doing that?  Really puts into perspective a 9-5 job.

Filed Under: Peru, South America Tagged With: animals, birds, islands, penguins, tours

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