“I’ve never been to a place where the palm fronds clack together,” my husband said while sitting back in his beach chair facing the calm of Kamalame Cay. Coconut palms surrounded our chairs on what seemed to be our own personal beach. “You have,” I replied. “You have just never heard them before.” We have been to quite a few private beaches and luxury resorts in the Caribbean, but Kamalame Cay was distinctive from the rest. It was like nothing we had ever seen, or heard, before. There are no televisions. We thought we would miss that, particularly with the NBA Finals going on at the time of our visit.…
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When people ask where we’re headed for vacation, it often prompts two questions: (1) How did you hear of that place? and (2) How do you get there? The first question is easy to answer. I am an avid reader of all things Caribbean. I love to search out new places and go to those places which are a little harder to reach, to search out the unspoiled Caribbean. When I first read about Andros, Bahamas, I was drawn to the fact that although it is the largest island in the Bahamas, it is the least populated. I loved that there were no big resorts, and that the natural beauty…
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Many people rule out a Caribbean vacation during the summer because they don’t want to travel during hurricane season. Hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through November 30. Every trip featured here on My Irie Time was taken either the beginning or end of hurricane season, and you would never know it by browsing through our photos. Travel during the “shoulder season” can be a great way to visit the region, when rates are lower than the holidays, and the weather is great. The Caribbean is home to some great festivals during the summer and fall months as well, including Crop Over in Barbados (May through August), Crab…
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In preparation for each trip, I like to do some research on the history of the area, and sprinkle in some other books related to island life. This year’s trip is to Andros Island, Bahamas, so I picked up a copy of Samuel Charters’ book, “The Day is So Long and the Wages So Small.” Samuel Charters was a highly-regarded music historian, known for capturing some of the great performers of blues and jazz when the music was still unknown to many Americans. He began making recordings for Folkways Records in the 1950’s, including some of legendary performers like Lightnin’ Hopkins, and wrote the influential history of blues music, “The…
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Over the years, I have posted “What’s in My Bag?” about various trips. On the last two trips, I have traveled with both digital and film cameras, and I wanted to do a separate post on traveling for hybrid shooters. As you might expect, it’s easier to travel with digital. Memory cards are small, and you don’t have to worry about the effect of x-ray machines at security checkpoints. I also feel more comfortable experimenting with digital. You can try new techniques, and the only loss is your time. However, I find that there are times when I prefer film over digital, and it’s worth the extra effort. There are…
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It’s been a great year here at My Irie Time. 2015 saw our Instagram account getting going, and here are our top 10 Instagram photos of the year! Happy New Year to all! #10 Fins up! A view of Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla. For more on our trips to Anguilla, read our reports here, including our most recent visit in November of 2014. #9 The “Special” rum punch at Smokey’s at the Cove, Anguilla. #8 Our June 2015 trip to Antigua & Barbuda! Read all about our stays at Jumby Bay, Antigua, and Lighthouse Bay, Barbuda. #7 Our visit to Garvey’s Sunshine Shack on Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla! #6 Our 2016 Antigua & Barbuda Calendar! #5…
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It’s the fourth week in November and I’m not wearing a bikini. Or donning flip flops, or slathering on the sunscreen. In Wisconsin, that would be expected for this time of year, but for us, it’s a bit unusual. It has been ten years since we haven’t traveled to the Caribbean at Thanksgiving. With our oldest now in college, her free time around Thanksgiving is limited to Thanksgiving Day and the few days following. When the calendar ticked over to November, and the temperatures started dropping here in Wisconsin, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It was as if our family’s holiday tradition was ending. We would not, at…
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It’s that time of year for a ghost story, so come along with us as we visit the Haunted House of Harbour Island, Bahamas, also known as the Glen Stewart Mansion. The Haunted House is not much of a mystery as far as its location, as it appears on pretty much every map I’ve seen of the island. They even had, at one time, a gift shop. Follow the pink signs! The mystery surrounds the strange circumstances under which the the original owners left. The story goes that the home was built in 1945 by a wealthy family. The owner left one day for medical tests and never returned. Presumably,…
