Blogs from Central America Caribbean

My travel plans for 2024 were to achieve my final two bucket list goals of: 1) Visiting 100 countries 2) Visiting the Central European nations of both Linda and my ancestors I figured that the most efficient and economical way to reach 100 was to cruise to the island nations in the Caribbean. We had been to Puerto Rico (see ) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see ), but none of the other Caribbean countries. I had been researching cruise website, and the most countries I could visit in 10 or more days was six. Then last September I ran across a Norwegian Cruise Line 14 day cruise to 14 island countries which would achieve my goal. I booked it immediately! First a word about countries; There are various lists of countries; from 195 in the ... read more

San Juan del Sur was our last stop in Nicaragua. We weren't really sure what to expect; possibly a ramshackle town full of partying surfers and backpackers with little to keep us interested for more than a day or two. They do still have their Sunday Funday but it seems much lower key than it once was. We ended up chilling out there for six nights! url=https://www.booking.com/hotel/ni/nuestra-casa.en-gb.html?aid=1769628&sid=ef6f4c27fb07edaed3e690c1da73a6ed&all_sr_blocks=190855101_93047743_2_1_0;checkin=2024-02-26;checkout=2024-02-27;dest_id=1908551;dest_type=hotel;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=0;hapos=1;highlighted_blocks=190855101_93047743_2_1_0;hpos=1;matching_block_id=190855101_93047743_2_1_0;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=popularity;sr_pri_blocks=190855101_93047743_2_1_0__6971;srepoch=1708988397;srpvid=b7baa1b5689d0062;type=t... read more

We woke up well rested and ready for the day ahead! We were booked on ‘Shore to Shore’ Three Island’s snorkeling tour and made our way to Bay Shore Marina to board the speed boat that would take us into the ocean. Our shoes were collected and gathered into a basket and we were seated and ready to sail…or was it fly?! The Captain Mike and his mate Jamal introduced themselves, turned on the music and set the boat in motion accelerating to speeds up to 35- 45 knots. As we departed the marina in Nassau, we passed Paradise Island. Jamal pointed out to us celebrity homes -beautiful, plantation style condos belonging to Oprah, Beyoncé, Tiger Woods and other celebrities. It was a beautiful day, the sky was a beautiful blue and the waters wore multiple ... read more

A picture perfect view of Nassau island from the airplane. Blueish green waters, deep blue skies with pockets of clouds- a painter’s inspiration. The mid day sun reflecting off water molecules creating an illusion of a silver expanse ( as we approached closer), a lone sail boat in its midst - these were my thoughts as our plane landed in our dream holiday destination - the Bahamas! After a hour long wait on the tarmac, the plane finally made it to the gate. The immigration lines were long and the arrival hall was packed with tourists. We hailed a cab the old fashioned way(no Uber or Lyft here) in the direction of our hotel, the British Colonial. Our cabbie, named Hafeed was chatty, and he told us that the Bahamas was a British colony just like ... read more

We were not big fans of Granada at first. It seemed quite tatty except for a few streets around the cathedral and the main strip of bars and restaurants had music so loud at night that we didn't eat anywhere nearby! We stayed at url=https://www.booking.com/hotel/ni/casa-del-agua-granada2.en-gb.html?aid=1769628&sid=ef6f4c27fb07edaed3e690c1da73a6ed&all_sr_blocks=912002705_362545423_2_1_0;checkin=2024-03-06;checkout=2024-03-07;dest_id=9120027;dest_type=hotel;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=0;hapos=1;highlighted_blocks=912002705_362545423_2_1_0;hpos=1;matching_block_id=912002705_362545423_2_1_0;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=popularity;sr_pri_blocks=912002705_362545423_2_1_0__3780;srepoch=1708874140;srpvid=b3926b4b47ed0128;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmplCasa del Agua,just a few steps from the main square and we were so pleased that w... read more