good reading: Havana Nocturne, A Traveller's History of the Caribbean and For Your Eyes Only.

I like to read...especially on vacation. I also love to know a little (not everything, but a little) about the place I am headed to before I get there. These are three terrific books I am reading (or have recently read) which I think someone like-minded might enjoy:

Havana Nocturne, TJ English

I started to read this book while I was vacationing in Cuba and finished it when I returned home. For non-fiction, it is an easy and desciptive read. At 334 pages it is not short, but it is jam-packed with all the juicy details on what made Havana the glamorous and dangerous city it once was. The back of the jacket descibes the book as follows:

To underworld kingpins Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Cuba was the greatest hope for the future of American organized crime in the post-Prohibition years. In the 1950's, the Mob - with the corrupt, repressive government of brutal Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in its pocket - owned Havana's biggest luxury hotels and casinos, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, top-drawer celebrities, gorgeous women, and gambling galore. But Mob dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead an uprising of the country's disenfranchised against Batista's hated governement and its foreign partners - an epic cultural battle that best-selling author T.J. English captures here in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory.

Click HERE to read the first 8 pages at amazon.com...

A Traveller's History of the Caribbbean, James Ferguson

I started this book right before I recently left for St. Martin. It was a nice complement to Havana Nocturne as it gives a very in-depth, historical look at the Caribbean. About to visit the islands of the Caribbean for the 7th time, I felt I was well overdue for learning a little more about the culture and history of the places and people there. This book covers off everything - starting with Columbus and the conquistadors, piracy, the slave trade - right up to the Cold War and today. I will say that this book is long (337 pages) and somewhat challenging but is an unbiased and very thorough read. The back of the jacket descibes the book as follows:

A consise and authoritative hictory of the entire reagion covering the larger nations of the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago as well as the smaller islands of the Eastern Caribbean and the French, British and Dutch territories.
The Caribbean, a region of spectacular natural beauty, has a turbulent history of colonialism, slavery, and resistance in which people from all continents have played their part. Described by Columbus as an earthly paradise, the Caribbean has long enticed foreigners with its promise of wealth. From the gold-seeking exploits of the Spanish conquistadors to modern-day tourist cruises, the islands have exerted a fascination on generations of visitors.
Tracing the islands' path from slavery to revolution and independence, A Traveler's History of the Caribbean looks at the history of countries as different as Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti, explaining their diversity and their common experiences. It reveals a region in which a tumultuous past has created a culturally vibrant and intriguing present.

Click HERE to read the first 6 pages at amazon.com

For Your Eyes Only, Ben Macintyre

This book brings together a few of the things I'm very interested in: James Bond, Jamaica and espionage. It is actually a biograpy of Ian Fleming (the creator of James Bond) and uses his incredible story to illustrate the inspiration for 007. The book is full of colour photos and images from his history and is an easy, juicy and glamorous read. The hardcover - though smallish in size - makes for a very cool, coffee table book. I am dying to visit Jamaica (it's on my 2010 list) and hope to see Ian Fleming's home there - Goldeneye - the place where he wrote his novels which is now a very exclusive, luxury boutique hotel. Here are some further details about this beautiful book:

A riveting look into the world of James Bond and his creator, published on the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth. In For Your Eyes Only, Ben Macintyre reveals where the world of Ian Fleming ends and the world of James Bond begins. Macintyre looks at the actual people on whom the writer based his fictional creations—friends, colleagues, lovers, and, of course, the notorious villains. Exploring the tradition of spy fiction past and present, with specific attention to the Cold War, Macintyre explains how Bond was based on the realities—and fantasies—of Fleming’s life as a wartime spymaster and peacetime bon vivant.
Stylishly illustrated, For Your Eyes Only features a collector’s dream of gadgets, costumes, props, and storyboards from the films—Daniel Craig’s bloodstained shirt from Casino Royale, the Aston Martin DB5, complete with weaponry—as well as memorabilia from Fleming’s personal archive: his smoking jacket, the manuscript for Casino Royale, his golden typewriter, his guns, and much more.

I can see for miles and miles...

I can admit I do have a bit of an addiction to travel - and not just to the trips themselves. I love the research, the planning and mostly the thrill of finding a great deal. On three occasions (Amsterdam, Florida and Cancun), I have flown free with my Aeroplan miles. So now that I am planning out a year of exciting travel to blog about - I am trying to figure out how I can do that at the least expense. I collect points with Aeroplan, Airmiles and Continental OnePass - and while I was investigating my balances, I discovered some exciting incentives on flight redemptions.

For one, Airmiles is offering a discount of 30% less miles to redeem if you book Air Canada flights before January 31st for travel through November 30th. If you need to top up any miles, there is a cost of $0.30 per mile plus GST. For example a short-haul flight (i.e. Chicago or New York) will only only cost you 735 miles rather than the usual 1050. Yay - New York here I come.

I am registered at Points - a website where you can track all your balances on select points programs including Aeroplan, Continental Onepass, HBC Rewards, Delta SkyMiles, Esso Extra, America Express Membership Rewards etc. Not only can you track your balances, you can also exchange your points between programs (if allowed by your program, and for a fee). It is also a destination for sharing points (with family members etc) or redeeming points for travel or merchandise.


It looks like I will have at least two free flights this year - one for New York and one to be decided. Using my Continental points will be a challenge (they don't allow swaps on Points) but I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I best start planning out the details for my next trip which begins in less than three weeks...the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver!

Back to reality...

The sunshine of St.Martin may be behind me...but I now have two more exciting trips in my future!
I am headed to Vancouver in February and will be taking in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games plus the Men's Gold Speed Skating, and spending time with some good friends on the West Coast.
In March, I am heading to Los Angeles on business and will stay on to experience Oscar Weekend at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel directly across the street from the Kodak theatre.
So, where should I go in April?

Last Day SXM

Uggh. Woke up to a pretty good hangover but nothing the magic of liquigels couldn't cure. I decided that maybe I'd like to stay on in St.Martin and take the Thursday flight home instead...but technical difficulties and some unhelpful staff at the airport made it my fate to go home that day as planned. But, as my flight wasn't until 4:30 pm I still managed to squeeze in a few last sunny hours by the pool before my return home.
So now...it's time to start planning my sixth visit.
Who's in?

I should mention that, although it can be an expensive place to visit, St.Martin can be an excellent place to visit on a budget especially now that there are some affordable airfare options available. Villa rentals can be a great way to stay in a beautiful home, experience the wide array of unbelievably good food on the island (known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean) and keep things on the cheap. I highly recommend browsing the villa options at HomeAway. My studio villa was $100 US per night and included a full kitchen, terrace, access to a common pool area and it was a mere 300 yards to the village and beach. I did not rent a car for this particular trip but would recommend it for anyone visiting for the first time. While the island is small, taxi's can be expensive (a cab from the airport to Orient Bay is $30 while a car rental is approximately $50/day) . The island is easy to navigate and some of the best things to see - the restaurants of Grand Case, secluded beaches, casinos - are easier to reach by car. There are a few larger size grocery stores on the island but you can access good quality food at most of the smaller markets and groceries- especially on the French side where you can find good wines, fresh produce and good quality baguette and pastries. Note that American dollars are accepted everywhere, as are Euros. In some places on the French side, US dollars are accepted at par - but usually at lunch or happy hour. Or so I hear.

Day 5: Seize the Day!

 

Beautiful Sunshine!

I started my day off with a bit of yummy baguette and strawberry "confiture" from France while sitting in the sun on my terrace. Then it was off to La Playa to make the very best of this glorious day - which would be my last full day on the island...for a while at least. I had a great lunch and a terrific bottle of cold rose. My servers at La Playa were awesome and took great care of me all day. The food there is fantastic and reasonably priced - I would recommend it to anyone heading to Orient Beach. It is also affiliated with L'Hoste hotel, which I haven't seen first hand but am told is a great place to stay. Rooms run about $200 a night and include breakfast.

After a quick power nap, I headed back to the beach for drinks at the Bikini Beach Bar and met some fun and crazy people from all over the world - Brittany, Lyon, St.Lucia, Boston...and Stratford, Ontario. After some beers and...yikes...passion fruit margaritas, we all ended up in a "secret" club up above the Thai restaurant in the village, which was quite possibly the classiest, coolest booze-can I have ever seen. Shenanigans ensued but I knew exactly when to pull the chute and "mysterioed" my way home sometime after midnight.

Day 4: Oh no, not again.

Yes...it started to rain again but this time I just decided to pretend it wasn't raining at all. I headed into the village, stopped for a bite of lunch (salade avec fromage at Tap Five) and, miraculously, it stopped raining right before I set foot on the beach. It was windy and a bit overcast but good enough for me, I spent 4 very peaceful hours reading and relaxing. I picked up some cold Red Stripe on way back home to enjoy while watching football and the Golden Globes (Zzzzz).

SXM Day 3

Sunshine!
Now that’s more like it. Today was lazily spent at La Playa beach club with plenty of interesting characters to be seen on the beach. That’s when I really wish I had a friend around – someone to give the bug eyes to when a thong-speedo goes walking by. I bought a Reggae CD from a Rasta guy who was cruising up and down the beach with a disc man and a pair of headphones. It was supposed to cost $9 but he gave "Blondie" a sale price of $7. However, I did not take him up on his offer to be his girlfriend while I am in town.

I finally left the beach, around 4pm, and returned to the villa for a quick swim, and that’s when the craziness started. The villa where I am staying has four studio units that face in towards a common area that features a pool. Three couples traveling together are staying in the other units. They are in their fifties, American - and are having themselves a pretty good time. Such a good time that they stripped down and went for a skinny dip right in front of me. I guess that's what one might call "bad naked".

I think they might be swingers. Wannabe swingers at a minimum.

I ventured out to the village for dinner and had a nice prosciutto pizza and a glass of chardonnay at Safari Grill, a restaurant en-plein-air. I met a nice, older couple from Victoria, B.C. who thought I was "such a lovely girl" and practically pinched my cheeks from across the table.

If they only knew.

Day 2

Rain.
I so tried to stay positive. I went for a short walk and had café au lait and a pain au chocolat under the shelter of an awning. I returned to my villa and worked on writing this blog. I made myself a nice lunch. I laized around by the pool when it stopped for a short while. But no amount of positive energy can change the fact that it really sucks that it is raining.

To cure my cabin fever I walked to the village and had a couple of beers at an outdoor café filled with disgruntled French ladies with pursed lips and a couple of American men with cowboy hats, no shirts and beer cozies they clearly brought from home.

It poured all night so I stayed in, made a lovely dinner (pasta with roasted olives and tomatoes with chevre) which I ate with a nice Sauvignon Blanc on my sheltered terrace and caught up on season four of The Wire (Sheeeeee-it).

Le premier jour:

After spending a long and exhausting few days at work, it was nice to wake up on Thursday to possibility. With very little planned – outside of a flight and accommodations booked – I had no idea of how I would be spending the next six days and was quite glad. While I think it is always better to travel with someone else - there is still a great feeling in knowing that you are completely on your own schedule, or lack of one.

My flight felt really long despite only being 4 hours. It was a lovely, brand new airplane. But, because of that, the in-flight entertainment system had not yet been installed. No biggee. At $380 (tax included) my flight was a bargain. WestJet has some incredible deals as they now fly direct to St. Maarten three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Both Air Canada and Air Transat also fly direct.

I ended up sharing a taxi van with some other people at the airport including a nice couple from Vancouver who sat beside me on the plane, some French men and a Dutch couple who were headed to “Club Orient”. (Raised Eyebrows)

I was actually quite happy to take the long way there through Maho, passing Baie Rouge (my all-time favourite beach) and Marigot…but then, we stopped. Ugh, traffic. It turns out there was a major accident just beyond with a dump-truck and a car. Fortunately no one was hurt but we did end up having to sit in the sweaty taxi-van for almost an hour. I took out my camera to pass the time and got some good shots including this one of some cows who were literally running wild on the streets.

When I finally arrived at my accommodations in Orient Bay, I was greeted by LouLou the pretty, French lady who owns the Villa I am staying in. After she showed me around I made my way to the grocery to pick up some essentials for my stay – French white wine, fresh bread, and good cheese – and settled in for the night. One glass of a really good Aligote and I was down for the count.

St.Pierre is in St.Martin

So I have made my 5th journey to the lovely island of Sint Maarten / Saint Martin. Some people wonder why I wouldn’t want to visit somewhere new, but if they’d visited here they would totally understand.

The island – half French and half Dutch – is a wonderful mix of European and Caribbean Culture. Euro-style on island-time. It’s a very small island – it takes an hour or so to drive the entire perimeter – with only 75,000 or so citizens.

The Dutch side – Sint Maarten - is a little more Americanized with casinos, sports bars, night clubs, Burger King and McDonalds etc. Dutch and English are spoken widely and Heineken is the beer of choice. The Dutch capitol is a port for cruiseships and is known as a destination for shopping, especially for inexpensive diamonds. I have twice stayed on the Dutch side in the Maho area and had a blast. Maho is famous for the airport landing strip which is at the edge of the beach. But unstead of me explaining it, I’ll let you take a look at one of the many YouTube videos showing the amazing thrill of a plane landing at Maho:



This is now my 3rd visit to the French side of the island. My parents first took the entire family here 20 years ago and very little has changed. At that time we stayed at Le Flamboyant hotel which was a nice place that faced the lagoon, had a kitchen and was close to some excellent beaches, a grocery and a French patisserie. I stayed there again when I traveled there 12 years ago – which was my very first solo trip. This hotel is very close to the French capital of Marigot – a beautiful little city with a picturesque wharf area filled with French bistros, yachts and sailboats.

For this trip I will be staying in Orient Bay, on the North East side of the island. Generally when I tell people that I am staying in Orient Bay, I get some raised eyebrows as it is quite famous as a “nude” beach. The truth is, only a small portion of the beach is nude – which is part of the clothing-optional resort called Club Orient (a link if that’s your thing). And no, I’m not staying there.

Orient Beach is set up much like the South of France with beach clubs lining the beach offering chairs, drinks, food, live music, and, in some cases, dancing. Some of the beach clubs even bring in big name DJ’s from Europe to spin on specific nights. It is very French here – so it is a good idea to understand even just the basics of the language if you ever plan to stay on this part of the island.

My plan is to spend 6 days here. 6 days of sunshine, delicious French food, good wine and lots of rest. Here goes nothing…

My project for 2010…

I believe in more, not less.
So on New Years Eve when others are planning their resolution to do less – to lose weight or to drink less or to not spend as much money - each year I am always vowing to do more. More drinking, more delicious food, more travel, more learning, more listening, more fun, more sunshine and more of all of the things that I love. So for 2010 I thought I would combine my passion for travel, writing and photography to create this blog.
I know I am very lucky. I have an amazing job that affords me six weeks of vacation and the means to see a bit of the world. And while I do hope that someday that I’ll have some kids to suck up all of my extra time and money – until then I’ll be enjoying the life I have. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading about it.