Antigua and Barbuda

Country Information:

Christopher Columbus came to Antigua in 1493 and the Spanish settlers grew sugarcane and tobacco there. It was colonized by the British in 1632 and remained a British possession until 1981.

Jim’s Perspectives:

In 1993, my wife (who I was then dating) and I took a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas and we had a wonderful time. Went snorkeling and toured through the market in Martinique, and then went to a beach party in Antigua. The island of Antigua has the nickname “The island of 365 beaches” because they have so many beautiful beaches. And I can verify that we saw a few really pretty ones while there!

Our next stop was in St. Maarten and hung out on the beautiful beaches on the French side (in St. Martin). Note: I was so impressed by the beautiful beaches in St. Martin in 1993, that 4 years later I booked St. Martin for one of our stops on our honeymoon! Afterwards, our next stop was Barbados where we walked down their unspoiled white-sand beaches and checked out the caves.

Uzbekistan

"We travel not for trafficking alone. By better winds our fiery hearts are fanned. For lust of knowing what should not be known We take the Gold Road to Samarkand." These are the final 4 lines of poet James Elroy Flecker’s The Golden Journey to Samarkand. Ok, so I...

St. Vincent & Grenadines

Country Information: St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a tropical wonderland! The capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown.There are approximately 105,000 people living here. The official language of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is English, with a...

Myanmar

Woman from the Kayan tribe wearing rings on her neck to resemble a dragon Jim's Perspectives: Myanmar has only, realistically, been actively promoting tourism since 2010, so now is the time to go before throngs of Europeans discover this jewel of a country. Arrived in...