Port of Call

MIAMI

N o city in the United States has evolved into as many disparate identities in so short a time as has Miami. A bit more than a hundred years ago this former Spanish settlement, located along the Miami River where it spills into Biscayne Bay (now the center of the city of Miami), attracted neither interest nor population. That's understandable since up until that point, the only way to reach Miami was by boat. That changed in 1896, when financier Henry Flagler extended his new Florida East Coast Railroad south from its previous terminus at West Palm Beach. By the turn of the 20th century the first of Miami's real estate booms was underway, a pattern that continued unabated right up to the Great Depression. Miami was one of the few places on earth where someone could offer you a get-rich-quick deal on 10 acres of swampland, and there was a good chance that you could actually get rich on it. Many made their fortunes here and left monuments to their achievements in places such as the grand Mediterranean-style estates like Villa Vizcaya and the slew of privately developed islands along the causeways crossing Biscayne Bay. The city of Miami sits on the Florida mainland. Offshore, due east in the Atlantic, are a series of barrier islands. The southernmost island in the near vicinity is Key Biscayne. Next to the north is Virginia Key, then Fisher Island, and then comes Miami Beach. The body of water between these islands and the mainland is Biscayne Bay. Early on, resort developers looked to the Atlantic Ocean beaches of Miami Beach, beginning their development with the elegant Art Deco hotels at the southern tip, now better known as South Beach. As development proceeded northward its complexion changed, becoming more "high-rise" and grandiose, with amenities geared to a wider range of interests, from yachting to golf. The 1960's saw another sea change in Miami, generating another boom cycle, brought about by the unlikely combination of the advent of universally available air conditioning and the rise to power of Fidel Castro. As Cuban refugees fled in droves to the U.S., they settled in that part of our country most like their former homeland in climate -- namely, South Florida. Miami, whose tropical temperatures were now tamed by indoor climate control, thus tolerable to an influx of workers, became the gateway to the Caribbean for any number of businesses, which soon rivaled tourism as the keystone industry. The Caribbean population influx also profoundly changed Miami's personality. It is now largely bilingual, with French and Creole also gaining a foothold with increasing waves of immigration from Haiti. It's hard to walk a block in Miami without coming into contact with Cuban food, Cuban music, Cuban culture. It is a dynamic, vibrant city steeped in multiculturalism. These new Miamians and their businesses have also contributed directly to the revitalization of the mainland portion of Miami, leading to a number of tourist assets along the western shore of Biscayne Bay, such as Bayside Marketplace. Across the bay is the renovated Art Deco district, including South Beach (SoBe), which has become a mecca in its own right, attracting celebrities and those who follow them, whether it be with camera or with autograph book. SoBe is also home to Miami's nightclub, fashion, music and hip dining scene, and rivals Venice, California as the place to go to people-watch. Not all is development (or overdevelopment, some would say). Though the seaside corridor has been urbanized almost from the tip of Florida to midway up the coast, there is still much for lovers of nature and the great outdoors. The Everglades are within a half-day's drive to the southwest. Off the Atlantic coast a short distance to the south is the only living coral reef in the continental United States. Birders wax poetic over opportunities to spy tropical shore birds and waterfowl found nowhere else in the States.

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Located approximately 35 miles north of Honduras in the Caribbean, Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands group. Plenty of great snorkeling and diving is found at the coral reefs off Roatan's coast.

Cozumel, Mexico

Before I'd even taken my first cruise -- nevermind sailed in the Western Caribbean -- I had a pre-conception of Cozumel as being a shopper's paradise that just so happened to be in Mexico. Folks I knew who'd been there came back with nothing but pictures of them shopping -- and of course, the things they bought. Indeed, Cozumel offers darn good deals on jewelry, Mexican handicrafts, T-shirts and other souvenirs, mostly in the main -- actually, make that only -- town of San Miguel. But what was pleasing to discover is that there's much more to Cozumel than duty-free shopping. This small island (measuring just 28 miles long and 10 miles wide) lies just off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, and offers incredibly diverse options for watersports' lovers, due partly to its proximity to spectacular coral reefs. And along with snorkeling, beach bumming and boating are popular activities, scuba diving is one of the biggest draws here. Cozumel also has a rich enough background to satiate any history buff's appetite. In fact, the island derives its name from the Mayan civilization that settled there approximately 2,000 years ago. According to Mayan legend, Cozumel was the home of Ixchel, the goddess of love and fertility. It's said that when religious temples were dedicated to her, she sent her favorite bird -- the swallow -- as a sign of her gratitude. For this reason, the people coined the island "Cuzamil" -- Mayan for "Land of the Swallows." There are several important Mayan sites on the island (such as San Gervasio and El Cedral) and even better preserved ones on the (fairly) easily accessible mainland -- Chichen Itza and Tulum are hot numbers as far as day trips and shore excursions are concerned. Although Cozumel is Mexico's largest and most populated island, it wasn't until the 1960s that this once-sleepy fishing village became a tourist attraction in its own right, following a documentary in which Jacques Cousteau declared it one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas in the world. These days, Cozumel is a major cruise port welcoming more than one million cruise passengers each year, and as many as eight ships per day. But even with all this progress, Cozumel has held onto its non-touristy side; only one-third of the island has been developed, leaving large stretches of pristine jungle and sandy beach basically untouched.

San Juan

     American-owned Puerto Rico is the largest and most populated of an archipelago of several islands. It is a rectangular shaped island with fertile coasts and a rugged, fairly mountainous interior with lush rainforest. The island is one of the most densely populated areas of land in the world, with more than a third of the three million-plus inhabitants living in the busy capital, San Juan.
     Numerous American companies operate on the island, while tourism remains one of the main industries. Christopher Columbus first landed on Puerto Rico in 1493. Fifteen years later Spanish conquistadors arrived and fought off the objecting native Taino Indians, killing a large number of them. The first governor was Ponce de Leon, who had previously travelled with Columbus and who thought the island might be the location of the Fountain of Youth. When this proved not to be the case, he left the island to continue his quest elsewhere.
     Spain continued to develop the island, exploiting its crops of sugar and cotton and expanding its maritime activities. The Spanish hung on to the island in the face of rivalry from the English, French and Dutch, before losing out to the US in the 1898 Spanish-American war. The status of the island was consolidated by legal statute in 1917, when the population was given US citizenship, but not the US vote.
     The capital of San Juan is divided into two distinct areas. One, the walled old town, is reflected in delightful Spanish colonial buildings, cobbled streets and ancient churches, the other in modern hotels, restaurants and casinos. The cultural mix of the population is also distinctive, a combination of Taino Indians, Spanish and other Europeans, Africans, Americans and, more recently, Cubans. As one of Puerto Rico's best known citizens, Ricky Martin, once said of his country: "It is not one thing, it is one thousand things together and even if I could list them all, it would be better to simply say Puerto Rico; maybe this is why I find it so easy to sing in Spanglish, the language spoken in the quarter where I was born."

St. Thomas

     This is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Charlotte Amalie is the capital and major passenger port of the island of St. Thomas, which together with St. Croix and St. John form the principal islands of the United States Virgin Islands. St. Thomas lies at the crossroads between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
     The islands that form this archipelago were at the centre of volatile economic and political negotiations concerning numerous trade routes. The Portuguese first used them as their base for trade with the New World. In the tattered pages of his ship's log, Christopher Columbus described these islands as being particularly beautiful. They were virgin, unexplored and mysterious lands.
     Formerly a part of the Dutch West Indies, the islands became an American territory at the end of the first world war, and its inhabitants eventually became American citizens. Today they have a representative vote in the American Congress, through their governor and although they pay taxes to the American government, they cannot vote in presidential elections.
     St. Thomas is certainly the most cosmopolitan of the three islands. Charlotte Amalie, has always attracted large mercantile ships, even before the arrival of the transatlantic passenger cruisers, and tourism has been the major maritime activity for the last few years. To protect the island and preserve its beautiful coastline and beaches, its lush countryside and natural surroundings, the government has enacted environmental laws. There are many protected areas including the beautiful Virgin Islands National Park that covers over half of the island of St. John. The park was donated to the American Government in 1956 by magnate Lawrence Rockefeller.
     Its beauty has enchanted the likes of Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Woodrow Wilson, Charles Lindbergh and Eleanor Roosevelt, not to mention, navigators, pirates, historians, painters, men of letters and villains.

Catalina Island

     Catalina Island is Costa's exclusive island idyll off the coast of the Dominican Republic and offers an unparalleled beach experience. Add in an excursion to the Dominican Republic and visitors can look forward to a bonanza of culture and relaxation.
     The Dominican Republic lies on the eastern side of Hispaniola Island, with Haiti on the opposite side, in the centre of the Greater Antilles. The Dominican territory is characterised by mountain peaks and sprawling plains. The central Cordillera area features the highest peak in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte, which soars to 3157 metres. The mountain is considered to be the geographical centre of the Antilles, amid beautiful green valleys. To the east is a large peninsula featuring the 1,000 metre peaks of East Cordillera. There are 1600km of coastline, featuring numerous coral reefs. The climate is tropical, with temperatures averaging about 25C and the humidity tempered by Atlantic winds, which bring significant, though not excessive, rainfall.
     The island was discovered by Columbus in 1492, after being shipwrecked. Like most of the Caribbean, it has European and African influences, resulting in a distinctive mix of cultures. When Columbus landed, there were approximately 100,000 native 'indios', who were almost wiped out by Spanish colonists who found the island was blessed with fertile soil and deposits of gold. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the plantations. In 1844, when the island became independent, 90 per cent of the population were of African descent or mixed race. In the years since, the demographic make-up of the island changed considerably with black emigration to Haiti and an influx of white farmers, a policy promoted by the Creole elite.
     Situated on the coast, not far from Catalina Island, is the tourist resort of Casa de Campo, designed by celebrated architect Oscar della Renta. The resort features top hotels and highly regarded golf courses. Altos de Chavon is found here, modelled on a 15th Century Mediterranean-style village. The work of Italian Roberto Coppa, the village features houses in golden-coloured stone and a river running through jungle landscape. The village was a location for several scenes in the Francis-Ford Coppola film "Apocalypse Now". Altos is also the home of an artists' colony and a selection of exhibitions can usually be found. Other attractions include an amphitheatre and archaeological museum which houses over 2,000 finds from the native Taiano indians.

Casa de Campo/La Romana

     Although they are relatively new destinations for tourists from Europe and the United States alike, the Dominican Republic and La Romana, a city on the island's beautiful eastern coast, have been attracting visitors for many centuries.
     Their vocation is the legacy of what anthropologists have identified as the island's earliest settlers. The Taino Indians are thought by historians to have been a friendly, peace-loving race who farmed the land and lived quietly and simply in harmony both with nature and their fellow men.
     Extensive historical evidence of the Taino people has been painstakingly collected and can now be seen in the country's two main museums in Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata. Historians who have studied the island's social and cultural development believe that the Dominican Republic had a highly complex structure. So much so, in fact, that Santo Domingo and La Romana (which was once much smaller than it is today) were once considered the only two cities on the entire continent.
     Fact or fiction, legend or history... what is certain is that Taino farmers had their own manuals for farming and fishing, and led highly active lives with plenty of religious activities as well as work. Evidence of this has been passed down through inscriptions and various artefacts, most of them made from the ceramics at which the ancient people of the Dominican Republic excelled.
     The first hint of revolution arrived of course with Christopher Columbus's first voyage. The explorer landed in the bay on 5th December 1492. He founded a small village, setting in motion a process of colonisation which soon led the island and its various activities to grow beyond measure.
     La Romana emerged as a city of traders and seafarers. Its port became a flourishing cultural hub thanks to its close linguistic ties to the nearby coasts: art and music did the rest. Santo Domingo and La Romana have always been a focal point for trade, wellbeing and entertainment, although they have only been recognised as such universally in the past few decades.
     La Romana is not only a thriving, bustling port: it is a beautiful city which boasts all the positive aspects of sea trade. La Romana lies towards the eastern area of the island: with the town of Punta Cana it is the key focus of culture and tourism along the entire coastline. La Romana is also known for its vicinity to San Pedro de Macorìs. Americans are more than familiar with this small village which nestles among sugar cane plantations: it has been feeding the US professional baseball league with natural-born talent for many years.
     Near to La Romana lie some of the most stunning beaches on the American continent, including Bayahibe and Dominicus. A short hop from La Romana and the coast, the Saona and Catalina islands have also become enormously popular tourist destinations in recent years. These paradise islands are the ideal location for lovers of the sea at its most unspoilt. Here the beaches stretch for kilometres, and swathes of white sand are lapped by the turquoise waters. It is the perfect setting for a number of beautiful nature reserves, foremost of which is the Parque Nacional del Este, or Eastern National Park. The Park is considered an international heritage site and covers an area of over 420 square kilometres.
     Saona Island and the village of Bayahibe lie within the park. In this setting, La Romana is shaking off its image as a port and emerging as the capital of a booming tourist trade. Every year thousands of tourists flock to its beaches, seeking their own corner of paradise where they can forget the stresses and strains of daily life, at least for a few days.

Nassau

     Nassau is the capital city of the Bahamas, a group of islands 50 miles from the coast of Florida, named 'Baja Mar' by Spanish settlers. Christopher Colombus was one of the first Europeans to visit the islands, and called the inhabitants 'lucaiani', derived from 'lukku-cairi' in their native language, meaning people from the island.
     The first foreigners to have a substantial presence were British Lutherans who settled there after abandoning Bermuda in 1647. They made their home near Nassau, which is on New Providence Island, and developed a substantial maritime trade. The islands' commercial activities soon gained the unwanted attention of pirates, who for some 70 years terrorised the islands.
     Among the more notorious pirates were Barbanera, Morgan and Anne Booney, as well as the legendary Blackbeard. The Bahamas' close proximity to America encouraged trade between the two, particularly during the American War of Independence in 1776 and the Anglo-Spanish War. But following the American Civil War, the Bahamas suffered lengthy and frequent periods of economic downturn, which lasted until the end of World War II.
     Tourism became an increasingly important source of revenue, particularly after Castro came to power in Cuba and Americans had to look for an alternative nearby holiday destination. The Bahamas became part of the Commonwealth in 1969 and gained full independence in 1973. The capital Nassau, a fiscal haven, is rich in history, tradition, charm and folklore. Established in 1656, it has survived the colonial age, piracy and economic recession. Only ancient city walls and fortresses testify to the city's former troubles.
     A number of gardens and fountains punctuate the busy city streets, lined with a host of restaurants, bars and duty-free shops. The port is the busiest in the Bahamas, with a constant stream of yachts and passenger ships arriving and leaving. And there are a number of glorious sandy beaches nearby, both on New Providence Island and its sister Paradise Island, connected by bridge from Nassau.

Grand Turk is the administrative and political capital of the Turks & Caicos Islands and Cockburn Town has been the seat of government since 1766. This small island is bursting with turn-of-the-century Caribbean charm. Founded by Bermudan Salt Rakers some three centuries ago, its Bermudan British colonial architecture amidst the colorful, Caribbean-style local dwellings make Grand Turk worth a visit. Donkeys, horses and cattle were the means of transportation during the salt industry, and these animals are seen still wondering the streets and countryside of Grand Turk. EVENTS Every summer Grand Turk becomes party town. In July Grand Turk is host to the annual Grand Turk Heineken Game Fishing Tournament, a fun-filled event for local and visiting sportspeople as well as party enthusiasts. Also sometime between June and September, Grand Turk parties down again with a week full of dancing to island music, sporting challenges, local food and much fun and other events to break up the heat of summer..	Grand Turk is six miles long and just over a mile wide. Like the other islands, Grand Turk is blessed with miles of quiet sugary beaches and is close to several uninhabited cays just waiting to be explored. At the north point of the island, a channel to the sea gives access to North Creek, the only hurricane shelter for yachts traveling between Nassau and Puerto Rico. WATER SPORTS Grand Turk excels in providing spectacular diving, snorkeling, fishing and sailing. Grand Turk is consistently rated among the top 10 dive destinations in the World. The warm Atlantic Sea waters are filled with marine life ranging from a tiny seahorse to manta, eagle and sting rays, green and hawksbill turtles, dolphin, shark, whale shark and the magnificent humpback whale. Diving is just a 5 minute boat ride offshore to the 7,000 foot vertical wall. On the top of the wall divers enjoy diving through the incredible coral formations and sand gullies. Grand Turk diving is relaxed, boats go out with one-tank and easily return to shore for an hour interval before going out to the government's marine conservation parks for the second dive. The local dive operators have combined efforts forming an organization to 'Protect Reefs & Islands from Degradation and Exploitation' ensuring that the reefs are managed and used with respect. AN OASIS OF DIVING ON GRAND TURK Story & Photos by Kathy Borsuk
SIGHTSEEING ON GRAND TURK
Grand Turk houses the Turks & Caicos National Museum which displays span the whole of human history in the Turks and Caicos, from Indian occupations starting at 700 AD right up to modern times, the arrival of John Glenn after his historic three-orbit space flight in 1962. The Turks & Caicos National Museum also has a Natural History gallery with displays on the Geology of the Turks and Caicos and Reef and Island Ecology. The recovered artifacts of the "Molasses Reef Wreck" (1513), the oldest known European shipwreck in the New World, are displayed along with manuscripts, prints and items of art and culture relating to the history of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Marta's Photo Gallery of Grand Turk - Lucayan Gallery Exhibit in the Museum - Visit the Philatelic Bureau on Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands postage stamps will surprise and delight you beside being a lightweight souvenir from the islands. An ever-changing variety of collectors stamps and post cards are available from the Philatelic Bureau on Church Folley in the Franklin Missick Building, open Monday - Friday. Stop in and tell Girley hello.	A lighthouse and the remains of a United States Navy Base are located on the northeast point of the island. The remains of a U.S. Air Force Base are on the west coast. This Grand Turk U.S. Air Force tracking station which began in the early 1950s until it closed in 1984. On Feb. 20 1962 astronaut John Glenn, in the Project Mercury Space Program, became the first American to orbit the earth and his space capsule splashed down in Grand Turk waters and was brought to the island for a medical checkup and post flight de-briefing. A first hand account of this historical event includes postage stamps and a special envelope autographed by John Glenn, which would be of interest to stamp collectors, postal historians and those interested in Turks and Caicos Islands history. Photographers enjoy old Bermudian-style archtecture, gates and doorways, beautiful turquoise waters and colorful plants that set Grand Turk apart from the other islands with its endearing Caribbean charm. MORE GRAND TURK PHOTOS More to date, you can now visit the Grand Turk Cruise Port and watch the cruise ship tourists and visit the shops and Jimmy Buffet's mega restaurant & bar Margaritaville.
GRAND TURK HISTORICAL INTRIGUE
The Turks and Caicos Islands have been documented by H.E. Sadler who spent years of research writing this delightful, easily read history book full of colorful pictures and fascinating history capsules. For students of history, residents and visitors to the Islands, this work is a revealing and authoratative account of the Turks and Caicos Islands from the earliest times to the present and an indispensable tool for further research on the Turks and Caicos. To find out more click here.	A considerable amount of archeological research has been done by the Earthwatch Institute, Dr William Keegan and Betsy Carlson, on the Coralie Site located at the north end of Grand Turk on the edge of North Creek. The archeology is done under the aegis of the T&C National Museum and the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville. Volunteers are recruited through Earthwatch, but they are not responsible for the research. For historical details see: