St. Lucia

St. Lucia is the sort of island that travellers to the Caribbean dream about--a small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. One of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain, between Martinique and St. Vincent, and north of Barbados. St. Lucia is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, with a shape that is said to resemble either a mango or an avocado (depending on your taste). The Atlantic Ocean kisses its eastern shore, while the beaches of the west coast owe their beauty to the calm Caribbean Sea.

In natural beauty, St. Lucia seems like an island plucked from the South Pacific and set down in the Caribbean. Its dramatic twin coastal peaks, the Pitons, soar 2,000 feet up from the sea, sheltering magnificent rain forests where wild orchids, giant ferns, and birds of paradise flourish. Brilliantly-plumed tropical birds abound, including endangered species like the indigenous St. Lucia parrot. The rainforest is broken only by verdant fields and orchards of banana, coconut, mango, and papaya trees.

St. Lucia has been inhabited since long before colonial times, and its cultural treasures are a fascinating melange of its rich past and its many different traditions. The island's people have earned a well-deserved reputation for their warmth and charm, and the island itself is dotted with aged fortresses, small villages, and open-air markets.


There is a broad array of exciting and exotic activities available on St. Lucia. The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rainforest preserves of St. Lucia's mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean's finest locales for hiking and birdwatching. Of course, the island also possesses excellent facilities for golf, tennis, sailing, and a host of other leisure pursuits. Not to be missed is St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcanic crater.

Easter Island

Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport the massive statues which surround the island? What remains of this culture today, and what lessons can we learn from their legacy?


Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific - it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.
There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania.

The population of Easter Island reached its peak at perhaps more than 10,000, far exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were destroyed - cleared for agriculture and moving the massive stone Moai. In this regard, Easter Island has become, for many, a metaphor for ecological disaster.
Thereafter, a thriving and advanced social order began to decline into bloody civil war and, evidently, cannibalism. Eventually, all of the Moai standing along the coast were torn down by the islanders themselves. All of the statues now erected around the island are the result of recent archaeological efforts.
Contacts with western "civilization" proved even more disastrous for the island population which, through slavery and disease, had decreased to approximately 110 by the turn of the century. Following the annexation by Chile in 1888, however, it has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America. Despite a growing Chilean presence, the island's Polynesian identity is still quite strong .
Easter Island today, remains one of the most unique places you will ever encounter; an open air museum showcasing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture. The Rapanui are among the friendliest people you will ever meet, and the landscape is truly amazing - with its volcanic craters, lava formations, beaches, brilliant blue water, and archaeological sites .

CURAÇAO

Famous for its fine liqueur made from the sweetened peel of bitter oranges and for its sunny climate and secluded beaches, Curaçao has a rich and diverse history, which explains the international flavor of its culture and the curious mixture of Old and New World charm. The people claim descent from over 50 different ethnic backgrounds, and the native language, Papiamentu, is a creole mixture of Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, African, and some Arawak Indian.

Curaçao's strategic position at the base of the Caribbean has also made it an important crossroads for global commerce and connected the tiny island with many of the important persons and events in world affairs. Amerigo Vespucci, Alonso de Ojeda, Peter Stuyvesant, the notorious Captain Bligh, Simon Bolivar were all drawn into Curaçao's colorful past.
Today however, it is mainly the sun and the natural beauty that bring people here. With an average rainfall of less than 22 inches a year, the weather is almost guaranteed to be sunny all the time, and the constant tradewinds help to keep the island cool. There are 38 different beaches to choose from -- some that are sheltered by towering cliffs, others with deep caves created by the pounding surf, and still others with wide expanses and modern facilities.

Or for the more actively inclined, there are ample opportunities to experience the natural wonders up close. Curaçao has long been overlooked by diving enthusiasts, but the national Underwater Park is a 12.5 mile stretch of protected coral reef with many attractions for even the most experienced of divers and Klein Curaçao, a small uninhabited island off the eastern coast, is well worth exploring. The marlin, sailfish, tuna, and wahoo in the offshore waters provide excellent Deep Sea Fishing, and the wildlife in the preserve at Christoffel Park should be of interest to anyone who prefers to encounter nature on dry land.

Curaçao is also a great spot for bargain-hunters. The duty-free shopping makes for some of the best deals in the Caribbean on imported electronic equipment, china, crystal, jewelry, linens, and perfume. The capital city of Willemstad has an active social life with music festivals all year long, dancing at the popular discotheques, and gambling.

Aruba

The capital city, located on the southern coast near the western end of the island, is extremely picturesque with its Dutch colonial architecture in pastel colors. Over the past six years a lot of effort has been spent refurbishing the town and making it attractive for tourists. Along the wharf merchants come to sell fresh fish and produce right off the boats every morning. The downtown area and the Seaport Village are the primary shopping areas on the island.
Bushiribana
On the northern coast midway down the island lie the abandoned gold mines that were the center of Aruba's gold rush during the nineteenth century. Nearby sit the ruins of an old pirate castle that some say goes all the way back to 1499, the year that Alonso de Ojeda landed here.
Natural BridgeOne of the main attractions on the east coast was this coral formation 25 feet high and 100 feet long, which had been carved out by the pounding surf over the course of the centuries. Unfortunately in September 2005 the sea reclaimed its own.
Savaneta
On the southeastern side of the island is the oldest town in Aruba, Savaneta, the original capital. This is where the Dutch first settled after re-establishing control of the island in 1816. Today, it is an active fishing village, but there are still the remnants of an earlier time. The oldest house in Aruba, a cas de torto or mud-hut dating back some 150 years, is still standing here.
California Dunes "Hudishibana" & Lighthouse
Named for the offshore wreck of a famous ship, the isolated northwestern tip of the island features some of the most spectacular scenery, with large rolling sand dunes and an old stone lighthouse that is, however, closed to the public. Nearby there is a restaurant offering refreshments and dining at night. Diving here is recommended only for the most experienced divers.
San Nicholas
The second largest city in Aruba, San Nicholas is a modern development that rose with the island's oil boom. The area has a typical British Caribbean heritage. It is the birthplace of Aruba's Carnival, the third largest after Brazil and Trinidad.

Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua & Barbuda:
All the signs pointed towards Antigua. The island had warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. It would make a perfect place to hide a fleet. And so in 1784 the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to Antigua and established Great Britain's most important Caribbean base. Little did he know that over 200 years later the same unique characteristics that attracted the Royal Navy would transform Antigua and Barbuda in one of the Caribbean's premier tourist destinations.The signs are still there, they just point to different things. The Trade Winds that once blew British men-of-war safely into English Harbour now fuel one of the world's foremost maritime events, Sailing Week. The expansive, winding coastline that made Antigua difficult for outsiders to navigate is where today's trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. The coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enemy ships, now attract snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. And the fascinating little island of Barbuda -- once a scavenger's paradise because so many ships wrecked on its reefs -- is now home to one of the region's most significant bird sanctuaries.