Willemstad on Curaçao

27 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 150,000. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   read more…

Paradise Island in the Bahamas

29 November 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  9 minutes

© flickr.com - Derek Key/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Derek Key/cc-by-2.0

Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of New Providence. It is best known for the sprawling resort Atlantis with its extensive water park rides, pools, beach, restaurants, walk-in aquarium and casinos. Paradise Island is connected to the island of New Providence by two bridges that cross Nassau Harbour. The first was built in 1966 by Resorts International, and the second in the late 1990s.   read more…

Bimini in the Bahamas

16 August 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Alice Town - Bimini Craft Centre © flickr.com - Pietro/cc-by-sa-4.0

Alice Town – Bimini Craft Centre © flickr.com – Pietro/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately 210 km (130 mi) west-northwest of Nassau. The population is 1,988 as of the 2010 census.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean

12 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

Isla Mujeres (“Women Island”) is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) off the Yucatán Peninsula coast. The island is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and 650 metres (2,130 ft) wide. To the east is the Caribbean Sea with a strong surf and rocky coast, and to the west the skyline of Cancún can be seen across the clear waters. The namesake town on the island has a population of 13,000 inhabitants. The island is part of the Isla Mujeres Municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico.   read more…

Hispaniola in the Caribbean

10 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Haiti - Jacmel Seaside © Port-au-princien/cc-by-sa-3.0

Haiti – Jacmel Seaside © Port-au-princien/cc-by-sa-3.0

Hispaniola is an island in the Caribbean island group known as the Greater Antilles. It is the second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba, and the most populous island in the Caribbean; it is also the eleventh most populous island in the world.   read more…

Costa Rica in Central America

13 March 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

Bonita Beach in Limón Province © AndSalX-WWECR/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bonita Beach in Limón Province © AndSalX-WWECR/cc-by-sa-4.0

Costa Rica (spanish: literally “Rich Coast”) is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 5 million, in a land area of 51,060 square kilometers (19,714 square miles). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José. Other large cities are: Puerto Limón, Alajuela, Heredia, Desamparados, Liberia, Puntarenas and San Vicente, with 30,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces.   read more…

Theme Week Venezuela – Margarita Island

25 May 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Juan Griego Pier © The Photographer

Juan Griego Pier © The Photographer

Margarita Island (Isla de Margarita) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. Primary industries are tourism, fishing and construction. Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive on Margarita Island in 1498. The local natives were the Guaiqueries people. The coast of the island was abundant in pearls, which represented almost a third of all New World tribute to the Spanish Crown. Margarita Island was fortified against the increasing threat of pirate attacks, and some fortifications remain today. It was the center of Spanish colonial Margarita Province, established in 1525.   read more…

Theme Week Venezuela – Maracaibo

24 May 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Calle Carabobo © The Photographer

Calle Carabobo © The Photographer

Maracaibo is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the second-largest city in the country (after the national capital Caracas) and the capital of the state of Zulia. The population of the city is approximately 2.7 million with the metropolitan area estimated at 3.9 million. Maracaibo is nicknamed La Tierra del Sol Amada (“The Beloved Land of the Sun”). Zulia´s main income comes by the oil extract and refinery, Agriculture: Coffee, rice, maize, cassava, cocoa, sugar cane. Production livestock and Mining: Clay, limestone, coal and sand   read more…

Theme Week Venezuela – Cumaná

22 May 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Mochima National Park - Playa Blanca © flickr.com - Luigino Bracci/cc-by-2.0

Mochima National Park – Playa Blanca © flickr.com – Luigino Bracci/cc-by-2.0

Cumaná is the capital of Venezuela’s Sucre State. It is located 402 kilometres (250 mi) east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first settlements founded by Europeans in mainland America and is the oldest continuously-inhabited, European-established settlement in the continent. Attacks by indigenous peoples meant it had to be refounded several times. The municipality of Sucre, which includes Cumaná, has a population of 420,000. The city, located at the mouth of the Manzanares River on the Caribbean coast in the Northeast coast of Venezuela, is home to one of five campuses of the Universidad de Oriente and a busy maritime port, home of one of the largest tuna fleets in Venezuela. The city is close to Mochima National Park a popular tourist beaches destination amongst Venezuelans.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top