Results tagged “Caribbean” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Friend of IT Elizabeth Seward had high hopes for the magical mud of Tintamarre.

I'm on a boat that's bouncing fiercely, and in an effort to ignore my rare and yet steadily approaching queasiness, I'm passing comforting glances at my friend, Heather, who is sitting across from me with her eyes tightly squeezed shut, looking like she's about to faint.  I'm trying to remind her telepathically that this will all be worth it for the mud bathing we're about to engage in. The ride to the island of Tintamarre, just off the northeast coast of the Dutch/French island of St. Maarten/St. Martin, is not usually this rough, I'm told.  But we were all grateful to wade through the warm teal waters to Tintamarre's shores once we were close enough to slide down the boat's ladder.    

A few of us made it to the beach to retrieve a beer (it may have been before 11 a.m. in the Caribbean, but it was 5 p.m. somewhere, right?) and bring it back into the water.  While our guides went off into the island's shrubbery, instructing us to "chill by the beach," I floated in the ocean on my back, mesmerized by the clouds for what seemed like much longer than the fifteen minutes it probably was.  Rolling onto my belly and then sluggishly onto my feet, I noticed a cave in the distance and before I could finish formulating my plans on how and when to explore it, our guides returned with the magical mud.  And now it was time to bathe in it.

The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is a wonder. Inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1996, it's home to sea turtles, manatees, and American marine crocodiles. It represents the "evolutionary history of reef development" and includes 450 cayes and three atolls. The reserve is part of the Mesoamerican Reef, which is the second largest in the world (behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef). But largely due to unsustainable tourism practices, Belize's reef has recently been added to the "List of World Heritage in Danger."

One of the biggest threats to the reef reserve's sustainability is mangrove cutting to make way for commercial development. According to a State of Conservation report for the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, 29 percent of mangroves in Pelican Caye have been cut down. The ocean floor has been dredged to fill the land with coral and sand, resulting in a loss of sponges and other sea life.

The number of visitors to the reef has tripled since its World Heritage designation, and Half Moon Caye alone hosts 10,000 tourists per year.  According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, over 600,000 people arrive in Belize via cruise ships, a method of travel vigorously promoted by the country's government and private sector.

There are lots of problems to tackle, but there are also some positive signs. The local community has an interest in preserving the reserve, fishermen are learning about conservation and sustainable fishing practices, and efforts are being made to regulate tourism in the World Heritage site. In order to fully protect the reserve system, however, more cooperation is needed between Belize's government and tourism industry, NGOs that manage some sites, and UNESCO.

Photo: Bobby Ramirez via Flickr

A Caribbean sunset? Not quite...it's Vermont.

I'm just back from a trip to the islands...of Vermont. While the Green Mountain State may foster thoughts of skiing, snow and perhaps maple syrup, Vermont is a blast during the non-summer months. And yes, there are islands in the state, the foremost of which are North and South Hero, located just a few miles north of Burlington in the middle of Lake Champlain. It may not be the Caribbean, but these bucolic islands are absolutely lovely, and just as much of an escape.

I ventured north to attend a wedding on South Hero, and the bride and groom chose an innovative option, booking the entire Eagle Camp, a family campground open during the summer. Aside from the staggering views of the lake, which also provided a perfect spot for bonfires, the camp was a hit with us wedding-goers, with a mix of cozy cabins and tents and plenty of room to spread out and play croquet, bocce ball, and shuffleboard (W. Shore Rd.; +1 802 372 4242).

If you prefer to wait until the fall, be sure to visit during South Hero's Applefest, which is the largest apple festival in the state, and will take place October 10-11 this year. I visited years ago and still swoon when I think of the many varieties of apple goodies -- cobbler, cider, candied, pie -- that I sampled while there. A friend and I spent a good part of the afternoon walking through an orchard, pulling apples off the trees, awash in sensory overload. It was hedonism at its best.

On a wet, dreary night in March last year I got a phone call from my parents. They were having dinner on the beach in Cabarete, a small Caribbean beach village on the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. I could barely hear my mom over the voices and music in the background. "You would not believe how fabulous this place is," I managed to gather from her exclamations on the other end of the line. "Mark your calendar--we're taking you with us when we come next year." At the time, the concept of dining on the beach in the Dominican Republic was far from being a plausible dot on my radar. I was in D.C. mentally preparing for work the next day, and it was raining. I tucked the possibility into the back of my mind and hung up the phone. But now, a little over a year later, here I am on the beach in Cabarete with my parents. I've just returned from a morning of surfing on the ruggedly beautiful Playa Encuentro, and I'm already sore--the sort of sore that's not supposed to hit you until the day after. But it was worth it.

A few other people in-the-know about Cabarete have implored me not to blog about it lest the tourist crowds from the all-inclusive resorts of Punta Cana be inspired to hop on the next plane to Puerto Plata and overwhelm this small, hidden gem. But I couldn't resist. So after you read this blog you must promise not to tell anyone else about it...