It’s been a year and change since I started this wonderful journey into the, to me back then unknown world of Travel Blogging. Of course I did the necessary research before hitting “Publish” on my very first blog post on that faithful day in June of last year. Google became my best friend in those days and my reason, or reasons for starting the blog were all very well documented in my early blog posts.
By Esdra Richardson – Island Girl, Entrepreneur, Poet, Foodie and Alcohol Enthusiast
Hot as balls.
That’s what it was. Hot as balls.
I mean… I don’t have balls nor do I really know how hot they can be, but just a few days in, it became clear. Las Vegas in the Summer is hot as balls… Or the devil’s toenails, whichever island saying you like the most.
It has now been 5 years since my husband Jimmy and I said “I do” in New York City. Yes, that’s right folks. People from all over the world pay top bucks to get married on the beaches in the Caribbean, and this island girl’s idea of romance was yellow cabs and skyscrapers.
The Dominican Republic has long been on my list of islands in the Caribbean to visit. Instagram and YouTube only made that urge stronger, with gorgeous photos and videos of historical buildings in “La Zona Colonial”, beautiful waterfalls and sandy beaches.
By Cherise Rambhadjan, blogger at CurlyGirly.
My husband, Shyam, and I went to Cuba on our honeymoon in 2011 and it was an amazing experience. Given that Cuba has recently become more accessible than ever, it’s a fine time to document our trip. Cuba is a massive island with a lot to experience. Since the country has been frozen in time from the 1960s, it’s easy to imagine just how beautiful it was back in the day. The old buildings (often dilapidated) and the old cars offer a certain charm that helps to make Cuba magical. Given that it is a communist country, the censorship and the feeling of big brother watching you was very real for us during our stay. One of our taxi drivers looked over his shoulder and spoke in hushed tones when he spoke about his desire to leave Cuba-although it was just the three of us in the car. The movies we watched were edited and there was no available Wi-Fi anywhere. There was a lot of poverty, which in turn, makes people hustlers. By the end of our trip, we were tired of people trying to hustle us into buying something – cigars especially. I’m sure a lot has changed since 2011 but it was eye-opening. All things considered, we had a great time.
The Netherlands, a country of tulips, food automats, scarcely dressed ladies in windows and space cake. I had the pleasure of calling the Netherlands home for a total of 6 years. Now, 15 years later, I still sometimes miss my time in this beautiful country. But it wasn’t always “Rozen geur en Manenschijn” (sunshine and roses) as the Dutch say and for me as a young island girl at the time, those first few months were quite educational. Talk about culture shock.
Here are 11 of the things that shocked me most about the Dutch way of life.