Looking back on my travels, my favourite trips were to the Caribbean and my best times were on the islands of St. Lucia and Cuba.
St.Lucia is supposedly the place to go for honeymoons. I was well past that phase of my life. I enjoyed the lush scenery.
Above is a hillside village in Southern St. Lucia. In the centre of this smallish island, there is the rainforest. Take time out to visit an old coffee plantation.
The people are amazing but very superstitions with methods handed down through generations. For instance, girls will have their ears pierced by the thorn of a special plum tree. It is thought that if this is done at the wrong time of the year, the children will have the “plums” growing from their ears. As any woman there and they all tell the same tale.
I also sampled the magical healing properties of Aloe Vera. The locals use this in a variety of ways, for washing hands for instance. They use the sap direct from the leaves that grow in abundance on the island. One time, I slipped crossing a stream and fell head down, hitting my forehead and causing a quite bad gash. I was told to rub the Aloe Vera sap direct to the wound and it would heal within five days without leaving a scar and it surely did. The sticky sap, sealed the wound and the obvious antiseptic properties prevented infection.
Local “weed” was good and abundant. Taking a helicopter flight over the rainforest, it was pointed out to me where the cannabis plants were grown deep in the forest, where it was very difficult to get to by land. The annual Jazz concert is a big draw to the island.Saint Lucia Jazz has become one of the major events on Saint Lucia’s calendar of events and surely a most anticipated event on the Caribbean’s calendar. During the month of May, the island dances to the beat of jazz when music fills the air and tourism takes on a whole new meaning to all. What started as simply a marketing event to boost tourism industry arrivals during a low peak period, has now developed into a truly Saint Lucian Festival.
As the month of May approaches each year, Saint Lucia Jazz continues to draw attention to Saint Lucia as the world waits in eager anticipation of what promises to be a star studded line-up. In 1999, Saint Lucia Jazz took on a new dimension with the addition of more side attractions, i.e. supporting jazz performances aside from main stage events. This created a more festive atmosphere and allowed the Saint Lucian public and visitors to participate in these events at little cost and quite a few free events as well. “Jazz in the South” with shows being in the village of Laborie and the towns of Vieux Fort and Soufriere all contribute towards making Saint Lucia Jazz a truly Saint Lucian experience for visitors and locals alike.
Check out the Virgin Holiday Sale by clicking link below for Caribbean Holidays and get the Rock Star Treatment
Virgin Holidays
I mentioned my other favourite Caribbean island, Cuba. One of my other pleasures, apart from the odd spliff is
a nice cigar and they come no better than Cubans. Havana cigars are the best in the world. The climate, soil and weather are most suited to the growing of tobacco. The best cigars are no longer rolled on the thigh of dusky maidens but they are still all hand rolled in factories. The well known brands such as Romeo and Juliet and Montecristo got their name from the stories that a Reader, sitting at a desk in front of the cigar rollers, would tell the workers. They would also read the latest news from the desk. With the advent of modern communications, this habit died out.
The Cubans have very little in the way of possessions but are more than willing to share the little they do have.If visiting Cuba, be sure to take colouring books and pencils for the children and feminine products for the ladies.I believe that the Obama should now lift the embargo which has denied the people of elementary items.
I put together a short video of my time in Cuba:
Take advantage of the the Virgin Atlantic SALE to Visit the Caribbean.
