Tag Archives: cruising

April 29, 2013 · 5:35 am

The “C” of the ABC Islands — Curaçao

Curaçao

Saturday found us in one of my favorite photo destinations — the picturesque and unique UNESCO Heritage site of Willemstad on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Ursula and I have visited this charming place several times in the past, but I look forward to revisiting it every time.

Curaçao Panorama

From the cruise terminal one walks through the expected shopping areas, but these shops are decidedly high-end. After that you cross a floating bridge to Willemstad’s Old Town. That pontoon bridge is designed to swing the entire structure to the New Town side of the main waterway so as to allow passage of large ships.

Pontoon Foot Bridge

Once you arrive to the Old Town you’ll find charming fishing boats floating on glassy, reflective waters as the fishermen sell their fresh catches at the local fish and produce market. Meander through the streets and you’ll find great little cafés with internet access, fun shops of all types, and wonderful little restaurants. But more importantly you’ll find picture opportunities at every corner.

Fishing Boat

Because of all these opportunities, I’ll be devoting two full days of this week’s blogs to Willemstad.

: Old Town

: Old Town from the Floating Bridge

: Beach-Type Swimming Pool

: Old Town Willemstad

: Old Town Willemstad

: Curaçao Colors

: Curaçao

: New Town

: Curaçao Fishing Boats

: Reflections on Fishing

: Old Town

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as cruising, Curaćao, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, Willemstad

April 24, 2013 · 9:42 am

A Very Famous Estate Called . . .

. . . Well, we’ll get to that answer on Friday. As for now, let us see how good a guesser you are.

As you may have deduced by now, Ursula and I have left Casa Wicker and our two kitties Max and Pooh in the ever-capable hands of our extra special neighbor Randi Brewer. On Saturday we flew off to our embarkation port and on Sunday afternoon we boarded this little dingy:

Aboard this ship we set sail to an undisclosed (for right now) island, whereupon we hired the services of this very capable driver (Desmond Callum — more on him Friday) for a guided tour to a very special destination. And what would this very special destination be?

Here are some hints: After World War II a former Royal Naval intelligence officer and rather obscure reporter for the Times of London used to winter here three months out of the year. Starting in the early 1950s until his untimely death in 1964 this reporter would write a novel, novella collection, series of short stories, or even the occasional nonfiction piece before returning to his home in London.

His first novel was published in 1953 and garnered some very unfavorable reviews, but he soldiered on and refused to give up. Over his short novelist career he produced an extraordinary body of works that would revolutionize a very specific genre and become perennial bestsellers. His protagonist would become a household name, and films based upon this character appear more or less about every two years, with a few notable and very public exceptions. Over the decades this protagonist has “officially” been portrayed by no less than six actors, and unofficially by a few more. The latest film in this long-running series became one of a very few select movies to gross over a billion dollars worldwide.

This novelist’s works greatly influenced me in my formative years, and his tales in turn made me want to write something equally entertaining and extraordinary. Today, his estate still stands, but as part of a much larger enterprise — a massive 52-acre resort featuring 21 units of high-end bungalows, cottages, and a villa. That five-bedroom villa is, of course, the home of the aforementioned author and, depending on the season, commands prices of anywhere from $5,500 to $8,500 per night.

The actual villa (along with answers to the above questions) will be presented on Friday. For now, enjoy pictures of some of the other amenities available at this very exclusive resort:

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Filed under Books, eReaders, Photography, travel, Writing

Tagged as cruising, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

February 22, 2013 · 5:35 am

Cozumel Bar Hop — Parte Tres

Today we take one last look through an alcohol-induced haze at the Cozumel Bar Hop. One would expect such a tour to be overrun with twenty-somethings who don’t know better. Incredibly, that was far from the case. This particular tour was loaded with 40-, 50-, and 60-somethings who didn’t know better. Actually, most of us did know better, and as a result we as a group imbibed cautiously. No hangover. Not even a buzz. At least not between Ursula and me. One or two couples were three sheets to the wind, but nobody wound up talking to Ralph in the ol’ Barf Bucket.

As I noted on Monday the tour began in the port town of San Miguel, from which we cut directly across the center of the island to the east coast. From there we turned southwest and made our way around the southern tip of the island before turning back to the north and returning to San Miguel. Basically, our route looked like this (with the bonus bar, El Mirador, located somewhere between stops three and four — Playa Bonita and Rasta’s):

The eastern shore has no electricity or much of anything else in the way of modern conveniences. Bars generate their own solar or wind power and ship in ice and potable water. It’s all rustic, and it’s all fun. During turtle breeding season, the roads to the eastern shore are closed all night and cars are prohibited from driving along the eastern roads — apparently the headlights confuse the turtles, and poachers are always a danger. If you get stuck out here after the sun sets during this time of the year, you won’t get back on the road to San Miguel until early morning.

And here’s today’s final glimpse of the sights you’ll see on this magical Cozumel Bar Hop (click on an image to enlarge) as well as a shot or two of San Miguel just before we set sail: