Justin Travels the Globe

The Prelude to Mount Washington

2011-03-22T20:02:00.001-04:00

Mount Washington is famous for its extreme weather, but there is more to this 6,288-foot mountain. It is a dream for nature lovers and sight seers alike. There are numerous trails to the peak, each offering something special, whether it be waterfalls, or a lake at 5050 ft. Furthermore, all offer excellent views and a challenging ascent to the summit. For those, less ambitious, Mount Washington offers easier means to reach the summit, the Mount Washington auto road and the famous Cog Railroad.

The Cog Railroad (above)

My brother and I planned this trip a few months in advance and decided that we wanted to do a big loop, taking two different trails, in order to experience as much of the mountain as possible over a 3 day weekend. We decided to take the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail combined with the Crawford Path for the ascent, followed by the Gulfside trail and the Jewell trail for the Descent.

The Ammonoosuc Ravine trail had a few major advantages. There is a large parking lot for hikers at the cog rail station, the trail begins approximately 500 ft higher in elevation than the trails on the other side of the mountain, there are numerous waterfalls, and the lake of the clouds. Though there are a lot of advantages to taking this trail it should be noted that the trail is very steep in spots and usually wet. In my research it was rated as one of the more difficult climbs, but in my opinion that made it all that more rewarding.

St. Kitts (First Cruise - Installment #7)

2011-02-27T14:26:00.002-05:00

St. Kitts, like all the Caribbean islands is quite small, only about 65 square miles. it has yet to really catch up with the development of the other islands leaving it relatively un-crowded and unspoiled. According to the St. Kitts website, it is a big hit for nature lovers, because the ecosystem has been so well preserved; furthermore, nature lovers will want to take advantage of tours through lava formation, tropical rain forest, seaside lagoons, scuba diving, and snorkeling. While St. Kitts offers plenty for the nature lover, it also offers tours of plantations and plenty of quaint shopping areas with beautiful colonial architecture. (facts from the official St. Kitts website).

View of St. Kitts (from Google)

As for my experience on St. Kits, there is not much to say. It was the last island the cruise stopped at before returning to Puerto Rico and I became quite ill. Instead of going out and doing something big like touring the island with the friends I had made over the past few days, I decided to just take an easy stroll around the town and do a little shopping. To this point I hadn't had a chance to get any souvenirs, so today was the perfect day to make some last minute purchases for friends and family.

I would have to agree somewhat with the information I gathered off of the St. Kitts website. Out of all the islands, St. Kitts, really had some of the nicer architecture. Most of the other islands were more of what i would consider a "slum". The buildings that did exist in the towns were poorly taken care of and looked like they were, in many cases, ready to fall in on themselves. As for St. Kitts, there was a lot of what I experienced on the other islands; however, by the cruise dock, there was a series of buildings that were quite nice and looked relatively new. To me it was something of an outdoor mall. There was a large pathway down the center, the main corridor, that became a courtyard. Throughout the day there were street performers, many of which put on a series of shows, most of which entailed elegant costumes with dancing and festive music.

Looking Back

I wish I had stayed sick free; however, who really wants to get sick. I really wish I would have sucked it up and gone on the tour with my friends, but it was nice to have an easy and relaxing day. Not to mention it felt good to shop and get some souvenirs to bring home.

If I were to ever go back, I would definitely take time to do a tour. They are easy to set up and everything is taken care of for you. The islanders are very friendly and they know how to have a good time.

Antigua (First Cruise - Installment #6)

2011-02-25T19:11:00.002-05:00

Antigua, a beautifully hilly little island. It is only about 100 square miles in size and through my research I discovered, like most other island countries, they like to boast about their beaches. It has been stated that they have a beach for every day of the year, 365 in all. The little island is also well know for having excellent snorkeling and scuba diving.

Above, a picture of a beach in Antigua

(I couldn't find a decent picture of the beach that I visited,

so I grabbed this from the official Antigua website)

Antigua, for me, began on the walk back from the sandals resort in St. Lucia. At one point my buddy turned to me and suggested that I join him for the day in Antigua. They had reserved a tour with a local guide. Considering that I hadn't planned anything, I graciously accepted.

We all met up the next morning in the lobby of the boat. Once everyone arrived, we made our way off the boat and out into the beautiful Antigua sun. Our guide arrived shortly after we reached the port gate. He drove up in a large van, big enough to carry about 10 people, comfortably. As we took off down the street, we took some time to get to know him and his island. He was quite the character.

After a while we pulled up to a local store. I would relate it to something similar to that of a small deli. He explained that he was going to pick up a few local favorites to munch on. What he came back with was very simple, yet exquisite. It was in essence, cheese and bread. What made it so special was the sweetness in the freshly baked loaf. The closest thing I can relate it to is a type of "Hawaiian bread". Anyway what they do is take the sweet loaf of bread and cut it in half and fill it with slices of cheese, a local cheese similar to a mild cheddar, and that's it. Simple, yet, delicious! Oh , I almost forgot, he also brought back a few cases of Wadidly, a local beer similar in taste to Heineken. Of course we needed something to have with the cheese bread!

After our snack, we made our way to a few local, historic sights. One of which was a fort, Fort James, located on a peninsula that engulfed St. John's harbor. The Fort itself was nothing spectacular. Most of it has been destroyed over the years by battles and just time. However, it was neat exploring and trying to figure out what had happened there throughout history. I remember at one point I found a whole cannonball stuck in a part of the fort!

Next, we made our way for a little lunch. We found a local hot spot that was known for having great chicken wings. I must say, our guide was well prepared. He came back with at least 50 wings, passion fruit juice, water, and rum. We were like savages. The wings were excellent. Instead of being slathered in a sauce like what you might expect in the United States, these were more of a dry buttery rub. The wings disappeared in no time as we made our way to one of the many beautiful beaches.

There we spent some time snorkeling and just enjoying the day. Our guide made us a mix of passion fruit and rum, delicious and refreshing.

As the day drew its end, we loaded back up and made our way to our last stop, "Devils Bridge". Devils bridge is a rock formation where over time the waves eroded the rock and created an actual bridge. Here our guide told us that slaves would come to the bridge and jump in, effectively committing suicide. The waves are just to intense for anyone to survive no matter how good a swimmer. Anyway the slaves believed that the water would free them from their slavery. Below are a few pictures I took of devils bridge and a view looking at the coast line on the other side of the bridge.

Looking Back:

Antigua was excellent. I had, yet again, another perfect day. Our guide was a blast. He knew his stuff and he was simply put, a cool dude. As for things I would change, I don't know if I have any.

Well that is all for Antigua, next will be St. Kitts.

St. Lucia (First Cruise - Installment #5) aka. The Quest for the Perfect Beach

2011-02-21T18:43:00.005-05:00

For St. Lucia, I decided it would be best to "wing it". There were plenty of things to do; however, I had a tight budget and was nearing my limit. I found that a lot of people made their way to the "Twin Pitons" for hiking and exploration. They were something, from a distance and maybe the one regret I had about my trip. Never the less, my day worked out better than I could have ever predicted.

Image of the Twin Pitons. Since I did not make it to the Pitons,

I had to get this image off of Google.

With no plans and no real motivation to do anything other than enjoy the day and maybe find a beach, I joined forces with a few friends I made while on the cruise ship. We decided that, being an island, there had to be a beach somewhere close. Later I found out that St. Lucia is not known for it's beaches.

The journey began just off the cruise ship in a duty free shopping area. Leaving the area and walking into the city of Castries was only a short 15min. walk; however, be forewarned, this island like the rest had locals waiting to pounce, trying to sell you souvenirs. Moreover, the locals to St. Lucia were a bit more aggressive and determined to sell you something. They were not nearly as friendly and at times made me a little uneasy. Surviving the bombardment is the most difficult task, but once through the walk was quite enjoyable.

After a while we found ourselves leaving the city and making our way to the next point, opposite the cruise ship. Quite a view as you can see below.

Before I continue, a word of caution. Once you leave the city there are no sidewalks; furthermore, the roads became quite narrow and were laking shoulders.

The sun continued to rise as we pushed forward with our quest to find the perfect beach. The deeper we traveled along the winding road, the more the road seemed to close in around us and the road appeared to be heading deep into the island.

Discussion rose amongst us, whether to push on or turn around. We decided that we had gone this far and it wouldn't hurt to travel a bit further.

A brief time passed and we made our way around a blind curve in the road. As we made the turn, we came across a driveway with a sign out front displaying the word "Sandals." At first we were a little confused. The name sounded familiar but we could not put our finger on it. We figured it out not long after and decided that we should check it out.

The driveway was long and passed by the resorts water treatment plant and golf course before making its way to the main entrance. We walked through the gate with no issue. No one seemed to mind that we were not guests.

Then we saw the beach. It was wonderful. The sand was of an orange'ish hue and was scalding to the touch; however, we did not let that deter us from our quest.

Image from the Sandals Website (this is the same one i was at),

I will say it was quite nice, if you can get past the close proximity

of the resort's water treatment plant.

Along the beach were dozens of chairs. Perfect to leave our things as we went for a dip. The water was perfect, as I found it to be for every island.

Feeling refreshed and satisfied that we were able to find a beach, we gathered our things and continued on, talking to some of the employees. We debated whether or not to let them in on our little secret. In the end, we told them our story and to our surprise that didn't seem to mind and actually found the story quite enjoyable, a first for them. They even offered for us to hang out for a while and get some drinks at the bar (all inclusive). We stayed for as long as we could before making the trek back to the cruise ship.

Looking Back:

St. Lucia ended up being one of my favorite days. We didn't take a guided tour or even get to see that much of the island, but what we did do was explore. Sometimes living life without a plan can be quite invigorating, you never know where you will end up or what is going to happen along the way.

Well that sums up my time on St. Lucia, next on to Antigua.

Barbados (First Cruise - Installment #4)

2011-02-20T20:12:00.002-05:00

First a few fun facts I learned while in Barbados. Barbados is a coral island that was pushed to sea by volcanic activity over time. The West Coast of Barbados, is made up of fine white, coral shore beaches. As with most of the Caribbean islands, coral reefs are adjacent to the shoreline and provide an excellent snorkeling. The East Coast is not as calm. Due to constant trade winds the waves pound the rocky shore providing a lively surf. Barbados is rather flat in comparison to most of the islands I have been to. The island is mostly made up of rolling hills. One thing i found very interesting is that Barbados has a vast array of caves and underground lakes. A taxi driver told me this was due to the fact the Barbados was once two distinct different land masses that merged together. Though I think it would be a quite an adventure checking out underground lakes, I never had the opportunity, nor do i know if they are even available to the public.

The Welcome sign located as you get off the cruise ship

For me Barbados was a little bit of a disappointment. I had heard a lot of good things about touring a Rum Distillery; therefore, I chose Barbados and the Mount Gay Rum Distillery. Mount Gay claims to be the oldest Rum Distillery, dating back to 1703. Touring the factory wasn't what I had anticipated. From their website, it sounded like you would be taken not only through the factory but get a chance to see the sugar cane fields. Basically every step of the Distilling process. However, this was not the case. They start you out in a room where they tell you some background information. Then you get to learn about the distilling process and get to smell the sugar cane solutions at certain stages. After this they sit you down in a little room and you watch a brief video about the process, it was alright. At completion of the video you get to walk into a small section of the factory. You can see some of the equipment but nothing is really happening. After all this comes last and the best part, the taste testing!!! They bring you to a bar and you get the opportunity to try all of their rums. I must admit they were quite tasty.

I could not find my picture of the bar at Mount Gay,

but this is one I found on Google.

I spent sometime in the gift shop debating on whether or not to buy some rum; however, i finally decided against it when they wouldn't ship it to the US. You have to bring it back yourself. I guess that wouldn't have been too big a problem, but I didn't want to have to deal with customs or the possibility of it breaking in my luggage.

After the distillery, I called a taxi and asked him if he recommended anywhere to eat. He had a few ideas, but in the end he took me to a place called the Waterside Restaurant, located on the inlet. I had a flying fish sandwich with a side of coo-coo. I wanted to try something different. The flying fish was quite good. The fish was fresh, moist, and had the perfect amount of seasoning. As for the coo-coo, I found it to be a little boring. It was type of polenta with ocra mixed in. I will not say it was bad, but it definitely needed to be "kicked up a notch", as Emeril would say. All in all lunch was enjoyable. The restaurant was in a great location with outdoor seating and a great view.

It was getting late by the time I had finished my lunch. So with only a couple hours to spare, I decided to take some time and walk around the city.

This is a picture of the Independence Arch in Bridgetown, Barbados

Looking Back:

Again I was very lucky, the weather was perfect, if not a little too hot. The day reached an apex of around 98 degrees and I was relieved that we as we were departing the island we had a quick shower. It only lasted a few minutes but it was very refreshing.

I was a little disappointed with the Mount Gay tour; however, I was mostly due to the fact that I had mis-interpreted what the tour was going to be. All in all I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like rum.

Well thats all for Barbados, next up St. Lucia.

Dominica (First Cruise - Installment #3)

2011-02-20T14:42:00.006-05:00

Tuesday I found myself on Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-eek-a). Dominica sits midway along the Eastern Caribbean archipelago, just a few miles from Martinique to the south and Guadeloupe to the north. The indigenous Carib Indians named the island Waitukubuli which means "tall is her body" in the carib language. The island is sparsely populated with around 70,000 people inhabiting its 289.5 square miles. A significant portion of the population lives in and around the capital city, Roseau. Dominica is an arcadia of unspoiled nature with tropical forest covering roughly two thirds of the island. Rivers, lakes, streams, and waterfalls abound, are fed by the islands high annual rainfall. There are so many rivers that the people there boast of having a river for each day of the year (365). In addition, Dominica is a volcanic island having black beaches and has one of the larges boiling lakes in the world.

Back to my visit to Dominica. Dominica was my first close encounter with a rain forest. Now since I am a big fan of exploration, hiking, etc. I felt it would be best to make reservations with a guide. After searching the internet I happened across a local named "sheppee." We exchanged a few emails and set the reservations. Sheppee was great. He was very friendly, young, and knew his stuff. He had a perfect itinerary planned. There was so much to see, too much for one day, so he took me to a couple of his favorite hikes.

Finding sheppee was rather easy. At first it seemed a little intimidating with a crowd waiting at the gate to the cruise ship dock. I approached the crowd and asked if anyone knew Sheppee. I was surprised to find that everyone seemed to know him and they graciously helped point me to him. He was just down the street, away from the crowds and all set for the days adventure.

After getting acquainted, he explained his plans for the day and off we went. As we traveled he stopped numerous times pointing out local vegetation (avacado, bananas, mangos, etc), historical sites, etc. We also stopped at a few scenic overlooks.

The first hike, to Victoria Falls, was estimated to take about 45min; however, it took us about an hour. It wasn't the easiest hike, I would rate it a 4 out of 5, but I loved every second of it. The trail was very rough with many stones used as "stairs". The train was uneven and in many areas required "4 wheel drive" to traverse. Some people might find this too difficult but if you do not mind the challenge, you will find it to be well worth it. If you have any ill will towards the hike, reaching the water fall will make it all worth your while! The waterfall was incredible and to make it even better there was a pool at the base, perfect for taking a dip to cool down or just enjoy a little swim. I will say the water was perfect! Below are a few pictures of the hike and the falls.

This is a picture taken of the trail approaching Victoria falls.

The Waterfall was too large for me to take a picture of the whole thing.

The base of Victoria Falls

Once we got back to the car, Sheppee, pulled out the refreshments. He had a few things to choose from but he recommended a rum punch. Not something I normally would have after a hike but it was quite refreshing and delicious.

From there we made our way to the next stop, Trafalgar Falls. The hike to this one was short and very easy. They said they hike took 10 min., but i beg to differ, i think it was much shorter! The waterfalls were neat; however, this was nothing compared to the first hike. For me it was too crowded. I guess between the handicapped accessibility of the hike and the fact that it was a short and easy trail made it popular with the tourists. But as you can see below the falls were quite picturesque.

After Trafalgar Falls we made our way to a sulfur spring. This is something i would recommend skipping. I thought it would be pretty neat, but besides a little gurgling and a lot of heat, steam, and sulfur gas there really was nothing to see.

Sulfur Spring

After the spring, we drove by a volcano. According to Sheppee, the best view was from the road as we drove by. I guess the trail that leads to the volcano stops short and you really do not get to see much of anything. From the road I could see and open hole in the earth and smoke billowing out of it, but that was about it. Not nearly as exciting as images you see on TV.

Last but not least, on our way back to the cruise ship, Sheppee took us to one of his favorite spots. An overlook of the entire town and cruise docks. It was quite a sight!

Looking Back:

Dominica was a hikers paradise; however, to really get a chance to explore and see all that it has to offer you will need more than a day. If you are limited on how long you will be there I highly recommend Sheppee. He is very knowledgeable and will customize your day to meet fit your needs.

Well, thats all for Dominica. Next on to Barbados.

St. Thomas - (First Cruise- Installment #2)

2011-02-16T09:16:00.002-05:00

Day two began at the cruise dock located near Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Now if you are a big shopper, every island is packed with shops and locals trying to sell you things as soon as you disembark. There is usually quite a selection, with jewelry being the big ticket item. After a while i found the bombardment to be quite frustrating and annoying but you can't blame them for trying to make a living.

Now, I'm not a big fan of shopping so I made my way to find some local transportation. I found it quite easy to get around on the islands. There was what seemed like an endless supply of taxis and what I would call safari type trucks (picture below). In my opinion the trucks were the way to go as long as you don't mind riding with a truck load of tourists!

I found the open air environment of the truck to be quite enjoyable. Not only did it feel like a roller coaster but I was able to take great pictures without worry.

My goal was to make it to Trunk Bay on St. John. St. John is a neighboring island, only about a 4 mile ferry ride from Red Hook. I wanted to go to Trunk Bay for a few reasons, but most importantly approximately 2/3 of St. John is a national park, which means there are a lot of trails for hiking but there also are a lot of beaches that are generally less crowded. Trunk Bay is beautiful, the nicest beach that I came across all trip. Trunk Bay has that perfect white sand that is soft on your feet and comfortable to walk on without sandals. Another great thing about Trunk Bay is that they rent snorkeling gear and have a self guided tour of the reef. The reef was nothing extraordinary, but i did like how they had stones marking different elements along the path.

Trunk Bay, View from a scenic overlook.

The trip to Trunk Bay was perfect! The weather could not have been any better; however, the trip from Charlotte Amalie and the schedule of the ferry left only about 2 hours to enjoy trunk bay. Which for me was long enough.

Once back in Red Hook, It was time to find some lunch. There was a place that i read about; however, I was unable to find it. I probably could have if i really tried, but decided that it would be best to just take a walk and see what was around. Not far from the ferry there was a place called "fat boys," a bar. Usually I wouldn't link a bar with having great food; however, this place was the exception. The Bartender was a blast and the food was outstanding. I ordered a Mako Shark sandwich, cooked and seasoned to perfection. I tell you what, that sandwich alone would bring me back!

Well i had to include the Fat Boys sign, after all it was the best food

I had all trip. (http://www.fatboysusvi.com/)

I enjoyed the place so much, I stayed there until the last possible second before catching a taxi back to the cruise ship.

Looking Back:

St. Thomas was a blast. I had the best Mako Shark sandwich I have ever had and probably ever will have. The voyage to Trunk Bay was outstanding. There was all sorts of sea life to see while on the ferry, I saw dolphins. The beach at Trunk Bay was wonderful and the weather was unparalleled!

Well that is all for St. Thomas, Next up Dominica.

My First Cruise (Installment #1)

2011-02-14T12:31:00.338-05:00

I have always wanted to take a cruise, if for no other reason than to experience the Caribbean. A cruise is a great way to experience a lot in a short period of time and I feel it is one of the best ways to experience islands.

In October 2009, I found a great deal on a cruise through carnival. The economy was nearing the base of the recession. Needless to say it was the perfect time to take a vacation. Anyway, I booked a 7 night cruise with the following ports of call: Puerto Rico (cruise began and ended here), St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, and St. Kitts. For me it was perfect. Each day was a new island and a new adventure.

Puerto Rico

The San Juan airport, to me was an average sized airport, not that much different from that of the Rochester, Ny airport. I found it rather easy to negotiate and get to where i needed to be; moreover, finding a taxi was a breeze. Just outside of the airport you will find a kiosk, similar to what valets use. The workers were friendly and had us on our way in no time. The cabbie was very friendly and even gave a tour, spouting interesting facts along the route to the hotel.

The Howard Johnson, located in Old San Juan and adjacent to the Plaza de Armas, was a delightful little hotel. I made reservations to stay there for a few reasons, most importantly due to its central location in the heart of Old San Juan.

The room had a large semi-private terrace (above) overlooking the plaza; however, be warned that the door to the terrace only had one handle located on the inside. If you were to close the door while you were outside, you would be locked out of your room! For the night, the room ran close to $150, not the cheapest place that i came across in my research; however, it had everything I was looking for: adjacent to various shops, clubs, and restaurants, a short downhill walk to the cruise ships, and centrally located within Old San Juan making it a great "base camp".

Breakfast was and adventure. I had no idea where to go. I asked the concierge to some advice and if there were any places that he recommended. He of course recommended the continental breakfast consisting of yogurt, juice, coffee, and bagels which just wasn't what I was after. Figuring there had to be something better out there, I took off for the day. After only a short walk crossing the plaza and taking a left down a side street, I found a busy little diner, La Mallorquina, that had exactly what I was looking for. The food was delicious and most importantly they had fresh squeezed orange juice! I wouldn't say it was a 5 star, but it was one of if not the best breakfast I had all trip.

After breakfast it was time to venture out and see what San Juan had to offer. Since I was only there for the afternoon I decided it would be best to stay in Old San Juan and enjoy a nice walk around the city.

I have found that for most cities you can find maps that will point out places of interest and Old San Juan is no different. Below is a map for Old San Juan.

I took a similar journey to what is depicted in the above map; however, there is a path nestled between the City Walls and the coastline. This Path leads all the way to the base of the fort, Castillo de San Felipe del Morro. The path dead ends at the base of the fort; however, it is well worth it and only a short walk back to the "San Juan Gate" which leads you back into the city and you can continue on your way.

As for points of interest I would definitely recommend taking some time to explore the fort. I found it enjoyable and unlike most museums, castle, forts, that I have been to in the past, this one has no restrictions, no barricades. You are free to investigate every nook and cranny. One of my favorite parts was checking out the "turrets" and imaging what past armies must have seen.

This is a shot looking at one of the turrets.

For dinner I stopped at a place on the water called "senor frogs" it was mediocre. The atmosphere was nice, the had pretty good drink specials, and they had a lot of TV's. I would recommend going there if you wanted to see a sporting event, otherwise it would be worth while to continue your search.

After dinner I came across a show in the plaza outside of the Howard Johnson. They were telling a story through narration, dance, and music. And even with my almost non-existent understanding of the spanish language I still found it enjoyable.

Looking Back:

Puerto Rico worked out better than I could ever have planned. The weather was great and I was able to see everything the old part of the city had to offer. If you are big into shopping there are plenty of small shops where you can easily get your fill. The old city also is pretty well known for its night life and is a great place to hang out if you are interested in going to clubs/bars. As for hotels, there are plenty to choose from, including some closer to the cruise docks, but for these be prepared to spend a lot more per night. I also would like to note that there is so much more to do in Puerto Rico. Many things that I would love to do if I ever go back, but for a limited amount of time I don't think it gets any better than a walk around the Old city. (below are a few more pictures taken around the city).

Picture taken along the Path between the coast and the city walls

Another Shot along the Path between the coast and the city walls

A gathering space located at the southwest corner of Old San Juan

A Picture of the Cruise Ship

There was quite a view from the Fort, whether looking out to see or back towards the city

This is a picture of a war memorial located just outside of the capital building

Well that is all for Puerto Rico, feel free to leave comments or questions. Next on to St. Thomas.