Nomadic Republic

Go to Hell!

2009-07-11T21:13:00.001+08:00

There is a location at Grand Cayman called Hell. Yes, like most tourists, I went to Hell and sent a postcard from there! In a gift shop at Hell, a strange guy dressed like Lucifer jumped out, asking "where the Hell are you from?" Outside there is a small patch of volcano rocks that gave the place its name and many iguanas roam this area...

Creatures of Cayman

2009-07-11T21:07:00.001+08:00

Iguanas roam Cayman...some of them rather huge and I was quite surprised to see them in many areas...so surreal. The turtle is the Cayman's national creature and I visited the Turtle Farm where turtles are farmed as food! The business class of Cayman Airways is called the Sir Turtle Club. Do you want to be a sir turtle?

Cayman Islands: Banks, cruise-ship malls and hospitable Malaysians!

2009-07-11T21:01:00.000+08:00

Malaysian hospitality in Cayman Islands

2009-07-11T10:54:00.001+08:00

Arrived in Cayman Islands today. Singtel mobile does not work here even though SingTel website says it does. Bumped into group of Malaysians who live here & was invited to their home for dinner. Very nice people. Even helped their daughter with some homework. They are now experiencing Little Nonya fever too! They would drive me around for sightseeing tomrw before sending me to the airport.

Friday - flying to Grand Cayman

2009-07-10T06:02:00.001+08:00

Still in Kingston, Jamaica. On Friday morning, I will be flying Cayman Airways to Grand Cayman. Will be staying at Eldemire Guesthouse for one night, then fly to London via Miami on American Airlines.

Port Royal - Pirate Port of the Caribbean & "Wickedest City in the World"

2009-07-09T12:33:00.003+08:00

I visited historic Port Royal today. Located at the tip of a peninsula guarding the entrance to Kingston Harbour, Port Royal was once the capital of the English colony of Jamaica. The city was established shortly after the English captured Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655, and soon became the centre of operations for buccaneers aka pirates in the Caribbean. The English government at that time had

Bob Marley Museum - The Man, Legend & Legacy

2009-07-08T10:33:00.001+08:00

Visited Bob Marley Museum in northern part of New Kingston. Overpriced entrance fee at US$20, which is the level for World-class attractions like the Louvre or Great Wall. Lots of stuff and murals relating to the great reggae star. I also learned that Marley actually had a white-British father, which was why he did

Downtown Kingston

2009-07-08T08:05:00.000+08:00

Downtown Kingston, which used to be the most important city of British Caribbean Empire, is but a dangerous and dilapidated inner city ghetto today. I took a bus from New Kingston to Parade in Downtown. The bus sped through the urban wasteland between New Kingston and Downtown - perhaps the driver was afraid of a highway robbery. A passenger had to shout for the driver to let her alight the

Kingston Day 2

2009-07-08T07:47:00.000+08:00

Kingston, Jamaica

2009-07-07T07:51:00.001+08:00

Everything went smoothly upon arrival. A hotel staff at the airport helped me to get a JUTA cab to New Kingston, which is the safe part of this city known for serious law and security issues. I checked into Chelsea Hotel and then explored the surrounding area which included the Emancipation Park and the financial district at Knutsford Road area.

TCI to Jamaica by air

2009-07-07T07:44:00.001+08:00

I took Air Turks and Caicos from Providenciales to Kingston, capital of Jamaica. The flight was full and most of the passengers were Jamaicans working in TCI.

Final day in Turks & Caicos

2009-07-07T07:42:00.001+08:00

A photo taken with Paul before we set off for the airport.

Conch tales, Turks & Caicos

2009-07-05T22:17:00.001+08:00

A conch, a shellfish found commonly in the Caribbean, is one of the most popular meats in TCI. I visited a famous conch bar by the beach and watch them harvest it and then had a great conch meal.

Meeting Michael Novins

2009-07-05T22:13:00.001+08:00

Coincidentally, Michael Novins, a New York lawyer, prolific traveler and Century Club member, happens to be in TCI. We met for drinks at an Irish Pub and spent a few hours talking about places such as the Congo, Chad, Guinee Bissau, Haiti, Abkhazia, Tonga, Wallis et Futuna and Saudi Arabia. Michael had actually bought a copy of my first book and left it in a hotel in Tonga after reading it.

Political Crisis in TCI?

2009-07-05T22:12:00.001+08:00

Crisis? What crisis? Or storm in a teacup in a small country faraway?Due to allegations of corruption, the UK government forced the government of TCI led by Premier Michael Misick to reign recently, and might assume direct rule in this territory. Here are some newspaper headlines. The former premier is now accusing London of practising colonialism and dictatorship, whilst the financial scandal

Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

2009-07-05T22:08:00.001+08:00

Arrived in Turks & Caicos Islands. In English-speaking country again! Island looks deserted...drove thru downtown without realising it. A few shops, scattered luxury resorts, white sandy beaches... My couchsurfing.com host, Alex, is away, and he has arranged his colleague, Paul, to pick me up at the airport. I was brought to Alex's place and given the keys in what's a very generous gesture.

Aerial Photos from Cap Haitien to Turks & Caicos

2009-07-05T21:52:00.001+08:00

My Vodou snake walking stick is broken

2009-07-05T21:48:00.001+08:00

I bought this walking stick in Haiti. Carries the figure of a man on one side and woman on the other. And heading towards them is a figure of Dumballah, the powerful Vodou snake spirit, which is the manifestation of peace and transquility. It is a mass produced souvenir bought at a handicraft shop in Jacmel for only US$5. I asked a few people and got assurance it is nothing more than a souvenir.

In Turks & Caicos Islands

2009-07-05T00:23:00.002+08:00

Have arrived in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. Alex, my couchsurfing.com host (who is a Romanian engineer based here), is away and his friend and fellow Romanian, Paul, picked me up at the airport instead. Drove me to Alex's house where I am now. The island is huge and looks deserted except for scattered luxury resorts and low bushes. We drove through "Downtown" and I didn't even realise it as

Citadelle & Sans Souci – symbol of magnificence and crulty – UNESCO World Heritage Site

2009-07-04T06:01:00.001+08:00

Period Ads in Cap Haitien

2009-07-03T08:30:00.001+08:00

The walls of Cap Haitien have some cool ads that remind me of periods long past.

Cap Haitien, Queen of Sainte Domingue

2009-07-03T08:27:00.001+08:00

Cap Haitien – currently Haiti's second largest city and was once a capital of the French colony of Sainte Domingue and one of the richest cities in the French empire. Plantation owners, flushed with the wealth generated from sugar and coffee plantations, built grand mansions and public buildings here. This wealth, however, arose from the cruelties of slave labour. In 1791, in a plantation

Now in Cap Haitien

2009-07-03T05:09:00.001+08:00

Staying at Roi Christophe Hotel, the best in town, in an 19th century grand old mansion with a swimming pool. Very hot, Not much in town and so I swam. Tomorrow, I will do a day trip to the Citadelle, the great fortress built by King Henri Christophe in the early 19th century. Also Haiti's only UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Visit to a Vodou Hougan (Priest) and Flag-Maker

2009-07-03T05:04:00.001+08:00

Jacmel, jewel of Haiti

2009-07-03T05:00:00.001+08:00

With a Chilean-French couple (Paula and Laurent), I visited the historic town of Jacmel on the southern coast of Haiti. We have engaged Jacqualine Labrom's services - what a wonderful time we had - if you are going to Haiti, contact her at voyageslumierehaiti@gmail.com Whilst Port-au-Prince is an awfully dirty and chaotic city, Jacmel, in comparison, is pleasing, clean and well-preserved with