El Morro Graveyard

Puerto Rico is an easy destination to get to from the eastern U.S. (where I live). The flights are cheap, and the island is an American protectorate, so there’s no need for a passport or to exchange your U.S. dollars.

I spent six days at the Hotel El San Juan in, of course, San Juan. The Hotel El San Juan is only a few minutes from the airport and a taxi ride is relatively inexpensive. The Hotel itself has a small casino and night club off the main lobby. I spent one night watching people at the craps table and couldn’t help feeling that it was a game in which four guys in dark jackets (one with a stick) just took people’s money. I completely do not understand the game!

Caribbean on Sale: Save up to 35% on hotels in Puerto Rico! – Expires 3/30/09

The pools are wonderful, with swim up bars and ample room to take in the sun. It’s a nice location to visit when the temperature back home is hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The best golf courses and beaches seem to be on the south side of the island.

I took a walking tour of old San Juan, and visited to the two Spanish forts. I walked back and forth throughout old San Juan, enjoying the scenery and the history. I also visited the cathedral of Old San Juan where De Soto is buried. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

When gauging relative expense, I like to compare the destination to New York (which is, I admit, expensive versus the rest of the U.S.). I noticed that gas prices were about the same as in New York (but sold in liters) and food prices were also about the same. A note on the food – it was fabulous! I would suggest that you eat some of the island cuisine. I actually went on a brief red-bean-and-rice survey, in which I ate them every night at different restaurants. Every restaurant had excellent red-beans-and-rice, but my favorite was at Pikayo restaurant which is located within the Puerto Rico Arts Museum.

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Serondella Lodge - South Africa

Africa has long been to dream of adventurers and pioneers, still a place of mystery, of the unknown. Africa has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a little girl watching national geographic specials, fantasizing of being Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey. When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it, although I have to admit daunted by the fact that along with my husband and myself, we would take our four children: a twelve year old, our seven year old twins and our year-old baby.

Africa has many types of safari to offer. There are tented safaris, which move from place to place via small planes. There are private safaris where you set the agenda (again tented and with the use of small planes). There are lodges, both large and small. Each offers its own advantages. For example, if you have unlimited funds, you might choose a private safari, or even a tented safari; however, which with small children, I was hesitant to undertake either of these. We chose a small lodge, which can accommodate only eight people at a time.

Our lodge Serondella (which means “place of the elephant”) was perfect for us. At the time, we were there we were the only guests, securing attention unparalleled. We stayed in a family boma, a traditional round house with thatched roof. The three bedrooms were luxuriously appointed with comfortable beds, mosquito netting (a necessity), showers and a living area with a fireplace. There are no telephones or TVs neither of which were needed. We had a small terrace for sitting outside when the weather cooled a bit. We were awaked each morning by the barman at 5:30 am, with a tray of tea and biscuits, and then we were off on our morning game drive.

Our open land rover offered unparalleled views of the “Big 5″ – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino”. In addition, we saw impala, zebra, giraffe, crocodiles, hippos, wild dog, baboons, and warthog. Our ranger Donny and tracker Thimba provided a wealth of knowledge on all these creatures and gave a running commentary on our rides. We even made a side trip to the Hoedsprit Cheetah Reserve, where these majestic animals are being kept in captivity for protection and breeding purposes.

Our afternoons were spent relaxing back at the lodge for cocktails and lounging by the pool. While exploring the property, we watched the verdant monkeys play in the trees throughout the grounds. High tea is served at 5 PM with all sorts of delicate pastries and sandwiches. Then it was off again for our evening drives where we often had “sundowners” surrounded by curious giraffe. Back at the lodge, we enjoyed gourmet cooking, either in the main lodge dining room or on the open deck. The lodge also has an open bar with extraordinary South African wine. The dinners consisted of traditional African fare mixed with western dishes. One special night we even had an outside barbeque complete with roaring fire.

Serondella is the experience of a lifetime. The staff caters to your every need, and they love kids! It is a long way from everything, but trust me when I say: the 27 hour flight is more than worth it. It will stay with you forever. After all, why go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom when you can see the real thing?

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Jaguar Reef Belize

Three words remote, remote, remote. If you really want to get away from it all, this is the place. But it takes travel, and if you don’t like little prop planes, bring a handful of Xanax (as I did) or forget it! You arrive at the international airport on a big jet (OK, no problem) however then you board a tiny prop (we’re talking a 6 seater here) which flies you to the “city” of Dangriga. Don’t get me wrong the flight was perfect, these guys do it all day long, but it was the thought of one propeller keeping the plane airborne that spooked me. The Dangriga “airport” is literally a swath cut out of the coastal bush, a wind sock and a shack. This is the third world make no mistake. We were met promptly by an employee of Jaguar Reef who took us on a 40 minute odyssey on the dirt “highways” of Belize. The ride was bumpy but made quite pleasant by the stories our driver told us. Belize is very poor, although you would never know it from the attitude of the Belizean people. Some might be shocked by the shacks and the seeming abject poverty these people live in, but one experiences no rancor from the locals – and no, I’m not on a “happy native” kick – it’s only that I have been places where this sort of hospitality did not exist.

Upon arrival at the club we were stunned by the beauty of the place. Landscaped amongst the sand are beds of tropical flowers. The roofs of the cabanas and the main house are thatched as is the Belizean custom. The few cottages are clustered around the main house in a semicircle. You are greeted and checked in with great expediency (they know you are coming). We did not actually stay on the resort property but in the Na Balum beach house about a 5 minute walk down the beach. We stopped at the bar to pick up the requisite rum punch (this is still after all the Caribbean) and wandered out onto the small open air dining room. About 15 simple tables all afford a glorious view of the Caribbean Sea. We checked out the swimming pool (small but functional) and then wandered down to the beach here they have beach chairs shaded by palms from the burning sun and double hammocks to while the day away. We then made our way down the beach to Na Balum – what a perfect spot.

The house has two rental levels, we had the bottom, with a living room equipped with a futon couch, a full kitchen with bottled water, simple bathroom and a bedroom with a double bed, alarm clock (as if you’d need it!) and a sliding glass door that opens to the sea. Since there is virtually no crime in Belize we slept with that door open every night, lulled to sleep by the sound of the lapping waves. Just in between Na Balum and the Jaguar Reef is a tiny inn with 4 rooms run by Canadian ex-pats. I recommend taking most of your meals there as the food is far tastier and cheaper than at the lodge – their pizza is to die for. We did take several meals at the lodge and they were fairly ordinary, with a few Belizean dishes thrown in – nothing to write home about, although the service is perfect.

The real draw of Belize is the rainforests and the reef (the largest in the Northern Hemisphere) you must take at least one tour if not several while you are there! We did two – the first was the rainforest and ruins. I was a bit disappointed in the ruins as they were not what I expected to see (these tend to be in the north of Belize) the ruin we saw was extremely old and thus it had been reduced to a pile of rocks, hardly the awe-inspiring temples one expect – but the jungle is another story, wild pineapples, wild parrots, snakes, (bring hiking boots and bug spray). There are two hikes, one considered “difficult” and one moderate. During the difficult hike our guide laid rope so we could get back down a particularly steep slope, half way through I was thinking – “What the hell am I doing?” – this is a VACATION. But the pay off at the end was a waterfall whose equal I have never experienced. We got to swim in it! Heaven! I think the photo of me looking happier than I have ever looked was taken in those falls. We spent a while there then headed back down for lunch. I was in the lead and scared something awfully large in the brush; our guide assured me that it was not a jaguar (they are nocturnal) but most likely a wild boar – still! We had a wonderful boxed lunch sitting by a stream and talking to the three other couples who trekked with us. It was very enlightening as Belize attracts some interesting characters. Then we started our “moderate” hike, although I would deem it easy and I am in no shape at all. All the while our guide pointed out the flora and fauna, and even though he does this once a day, there was nothing jaded in his presentation. Again at the end a beautiful waterfall and more swimming – what a pleasure! Trekked back and returned to the lodge in an (unfortunately) un-air-conditioned van (most are).

Make no mistake, Belize is hot – and if you are not used to extremely hot weather I recommend getting an air-conditioned cabana of which they have several. That night we lay on our backs in the sand in front of our condo. No one around, no other resorts to light up the sky, it was as black as coal. The stars were exceptional and the ambience romantic. Mind you three is nothing to do at the lodge past about 9 PM so you must make your own fun (wink, wink).

We also went on the all day a snorkeling trip. Belize is a divers paradise (and rightly so) and there is a dive shop right next to the lodge, but neither of us are certified so we settled for snorkeling. The small boat took us 12 miles off the coast, to the reef and we had 3 dive stops. The Belizeans are very eco conscious so we got a lecture about touching nothing (which I think is good). The world beneath the sea is like nothing I have seen before, the fish are splendiferous and the coral extraordinary. Our guide was again friendly and enthusiastic and brought a card with picture of the different fish so we could identify what we had seen. On our last dive we say a manta ray 7 feet long, at least 400 lbs., our guide estimated. Some (not me thank goodness ) saw barracuda. No one saw a shark, although they do exist there. We pit stopped at a tiny island to have lunch and use the facilities. Unfortunately, I got seasick on the ride home (no one else did) but was told that Bonine would have prevented this. However it was all worth that post trip bathroom jag as I will never forget what I saw. Please note that tipping the guides is expected but not hard to do as they really do give their all. We were picked up for our flight out exactly on time which really amazed me since these people are certainly not in the kid of rush most westerners are.

A word of warning – you do not want to end up in a Belizean dentist office, as I did when a filling came out. In all, the jaguar reef is highly recommended – it is quiet, it is remote, it is luxurious and friendly, and it is a world away from anything I’ve ever experienced.

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