Photo of the Day (8/24/07)

by Neil Woodburn on

Another Photo of the Day from former Gadling blogger Willy.

This one features a Lemon Shark, so named because of the ripe lemons they usually keep pinched between their teeth and gums. Lemon Sharks like to do this to keep their breath smelling fresh; they are, after all, the so-called Gentlemen of the Seas.

Lemon Sharks are also very generous sharks. They simply love it when divers reach deep into their serrated pie holes and pull out the lemons they have cached there. I don’t see any lemons on this particularly fine specimen so that means Willy must have already plucked them out. Great job, Willy. Keep up the good work!

Anna Nicole Smith Tour: A Bahamas Big Seller

by Jamie Rhein on

With true enterprising spirit, Anna Nicole Smith tours are already underway in the Bahamas and they are keeping taxi drivers busy. The tours are detailed on Jaunted: The Pop Culture Travel Guide’s website. Taxi drivers thought up this tour idea. They happily take fans or not fans on non-official tours to a variety of locations that tell the saga of Smith’s larger than reality life. One day, perhaps ,this tour will show up in some travel brochure. Seriously, could you actually make this stuff up if you sat down to write a best selling novel?

The tour cleverly called the “Anna Nicole Tour” includes:

  • Doctors’ Hospital in Nassau, where her son Daniel died.
  • Lakeview Memorial Gardens and Mauseoleums where she and her son are buried.
  • Mount Horeb Baptist Church where her funeral was.
  • Horizons, the home where she lived with Howard K. Stern and her five month old daughter.

If you want a cab driver to take you to these spots, prepare to negotiate. There doesn’t seem to be a set price. Or maybe, by now, there is.

Renting an Island

by Neil Woodburn on

Having an entire island to yourself is a dream that very few people are able to enjoy; buying an island is prohibitively expensive, as is staying on a privately owned island. But, if ya got the dough, everything is possible.

If you fall under that elusive affluent demographic, Real Simple has put together a short list of the best “islands you can have to yourself.” Unfortunately, it is not online. But since the list is short and impressive, we will share it with you here:

Necker Island (British Virgin Islands). $40,000 a night, owned by Richard Branson.
Musha Cay (Bahamas) $24,750 a day, includes a 10,000-square-foot mansion.
Isla Kiniw (Curacao). $5,950 a week, just off the mainland.
Brandy Hill Island (Connecticut). $1,500 a week, only one acre and very rustic.
Dream Island (Moorea) $400-600 a night. Finally! One I might be able to afford.

Round The World in 100 Days: Nassau, Bahamas

by Dia Draper on

Hey beautiful people, I apologize for the brief absence, but sailing around the world is kind of exhausting, not to mention, the internet is darn expensive out here in the middle of the Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific, etc. This feature will run every Monday and Thursday as long as the internet gods grant my wishes and show me mercy. Last time we were together I was getting ready to head out for a 100 day trip around the world with these guys, and now that we are well under way I can tell you that this is one of the top five things I have ever done in my young life.

We set sail from Port Everglades, Florida on a beautiful day with calm seas, a beautiful sunset and a fully stocked bar for the faculty and staff. We have been in training off and on the whole time and the topics run the gamut from how to stay healthy while at sea to what to do if there’s a kidnapping, man overboard, pirate attack, etc. really, I’m not kidding. Okay, maybe the last one was a joke, but I won’t confirm or deny it!

The ship is beautiful inside and out. The MV Explorer is carrying almost 1000 people on this voyage including over 700 students. Add to that the Faculty, staff and ship’s crew and you’ve got a full house sailing east around the world chasing the sun. I have an outside double cabin with view of the sea and the lifeboats. But my favorite spot is hanging out on the 6th deck aft, taking in the view. Though I’m working on this voyage, I can’t deny the world class service that comes with a ship of this type. My room is cleaned daily, the food is top notch, the pool is always sparkling in the sunshine and the crew takes such pride in their work that it has inspired the lot of us to work to our highest standard.

Our first port was Nassau, Bahamas where the ship is registered and we picked up the majority of the passengers. The view from the ship was amazing as we sailed into port. The water was so blue that it is hard to describe, the air was warm and I swear it smelled sweet. As the PILOT boat came to guide us into our berth, off in the distance we could see the super resort ATLANTIS taunting us with promises of sexy, grown folks fun. The Bahamas includes an estimated 700 islands and only 30 or so are inhabited. New Providence is the island home of Nassau, the capital and home to almost 100,000 people. Though New Providence is only 21 miles long and 7 miles wide, it is home to more than two-thirds of the country’s residents. Including these guys on Jet Skis!

We sailed into Prince George Dock and immediately tumbled into the Hairbraider’s Center and the Straw Market. At the Hairbraider’s Center you can get your hair braided a la Bo Derek for about $1US per strand, and you can have it your way: with or without beads, with colorful yarn or ribbons weaved in,etc. The six blocks that comprise the heart of Nassau are easy to navigate and we traipsed around shaking our heads at the mixture of colonial charm and western development (Starbucks anyone?).

This didn’t stop us from strolling Bay Street and the aforementioned Straw Market which was full of trinkets, curios, and bargain priced hand-crafted items-but be warned, most of this stuff is imported and chintzy, so give things a good look over. I was so put off by the low quality that I didn’t buy a single thing the entire 4 days we were there. I did however enjoy strolling and peeking in the galleries and my nerd like tendencies necessitated a visit to Parliament Square, the Bahamian Government’s operating center.

We clowned around and took pictures near the stern-faced statue of Queen Victoria and admired the early 1800’s architecture. Because it is so tourist oriented, the main drag closes around 6pm each night as most cruise ships only stay for a day or two and offer more entertainment than the small town, so we bid Bay Street adieu after picking up some duty free refreshment.

Paradise Island was a spectacle of a different sort. Across a long toll bridge lies the sister island to New Providence and home to the mega-resort Atlantis. Paradise Island is a mere four miles long and a half mile wide with pink sands and a nightlife that will satisfy almost every desire and curiosity. Atlantis sits on 14 acres and boasts over 2000 rooms, 21 different restaurants/cafes, 16 bars, 9 swimming pools and an Aquarium. I just had to see it for my own eyes and it was definitely Disney meets Las Vegas. We snuck onto the property/beach and strolled the property trying to look like we belonged there, and enjoyed the pink sands, care-free vibe and diversity of humanity at play.

Anyone who knows me knows that Nassau/Atlantis/Paradise Island isn’t my cup of tea. I’m glad I got to see it, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend any money there outside of food and drink. My favorite Bahamian hangout so far is Eleuthera, one of the out islands that stretches 100 miles long and a scant 2 miles wide, and its sisters: Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.

During a 2001 trip to Eleuthera, we flew into Governor’s Harbor which boasts and airport about the size of an average house in the US, complete with someone’s laundry hanging out to dry in the sunshine and all. I loved the sparseness of the island which has about 8000 residents. We rented a house through vrbo.com and had the entire beach to ourselves. We rented a car and when we went to pick up the (rather weather-worn) Buick, we were told there was no need for a credit card deposit because there was no way we could get off the island without the owner of the rental agency knowing. They literally threw us the keys and shooed us off with a map and a recommendation to carry water wherever we went.

We spent the week snorkeling, cracking open coconuts from the trees around the house with a ginormous knife, driving out to Tarpum Bay and watching the stingrays from the Glass Window (a lookout point that boasts the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other). We ate at Cocodimama’s, Rosie’s and various Conch Salad stands, and even had some Caribbean lobster. Though I love the vibe and weather of the Bahamas in general, I definitely recommend a visit to the out islands.

Next Stop: Puerto Rico
Previously: Fantastic Voyage

Round The World in 100 Days: Fantastic Voyage

by Dia Draper on

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. ” -attributed to a 1901 Times of London newspaper ad allegedly placed by Ernest Shackleton, famous explorer and sailor.

In the “You Lucky Dog” category, I’ll be heading out shortly for more than 100 days of round the world (RTW) travel by sea. I’m thick in the throes of prepping for almost 4 months aboard the ship MV Explorer and praying that this voyage will be less susceptible than Shackleton’s to things like pirates, mutiny, and beri-beri.

After 9 years, 3 applications, and some good juju, I was selected for a post with Semester at Sea (SAS). Now I’m going to attempt to circumnavigate the globe without leaving the earth’s surface-which means I’ll have to endure the scary prospect of traveling overland from San Diego back home to the east coast. I’m looking forward to an amazing , once-in-a-lifetime voyage as we sail east around the globe from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to:

Nassau, Bahamas
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Salvador, Brazil
Cape Town, South Africa
Port Louis, Mauritius
Chennai, India
Penang, Malaysia
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hong Kong
Qingdao, China
Kobe, Japan
Honolulu, Hawaii
San Diego, California

SAS is an academic study abroad program that uses a converted cruise ship as a floating university campus to educate the students on these popular voyages through both classroom techniques and field experiences, in a host of countries around the world.

The program also had its 15 minutes of mainstream fame, when it was featured on a season of MTV’s “Road Rules.” I am smitten with the fact that there are community service opportunities in nearly every port and the students have a long history for generosity of time and money on these forays into second and third-world areas. In the fall they sail west around the world, and in the summer they concentrate on a region such as Latin America or Europe.

Our trip as I mentioned, sails east chasing the rising sun, which means we should have pretty good weather, but we will lose 24 hours in a series of daylight savings time-esque one hour “spring forwards” as we circle the globe, the good news is that we’ll get a “Groundhog Day”-like experience when we live April 30th twice when we cross the international date line.

I first learned of SAS during a trip to Kenya with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) where I ran into an SAS alumni who was there volunteering with the Peace Corps. Nolan raved about the program and how it changed his life by expanding his view of the world and his place in it. My alma mater (The University of Virginia) recently became the academic sponsor for the program and my conversation with Nolan and subsequent research ignited my passion for the program back in 1997.

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to live at the intersection of two of my passions-travel and education. And so, I am raiding Blue Ridge Mountain Sports with a giftcard I got for Christmas, and Wal-Mart for all things waterproof. I’ve been stocking up on my favorite gum, favorite chapstick, ziploc bags, and downloading so much music that my iPod is so hot its about to catch fire. And yes, I did download “The Love Boat“, everything by The Captain & Tennille, and I love “Wish I” by Jem, so I’m fired up from head to Teva’d toe (actually I’m all about my Crocs these days) for this trip.

I’ve been working hard to get my day-to-day life together to a point where I can travel like this, seize these types of opportunities and combine my many hobbies, passions, and interests with any excuse to hit the road. I left full-time work last February, and I have been freelancing and traveling since then, so the offer to join SAS came at a perfect time in my life where I find myself free of many of the usual restrictions, responsibilities, and obligations (is anybody hating me right now?).

While I am enjoying this lifestyle, it does have its own sacrifices. Chief among them are not having my own home which means I sleep on Disney themed sheets, in a single bed, in the bottom bunk of my nephew’s room when I’m not wandering.

I can’t wrap my head around traveling with 900 other people this way, and I do wonder how it will alter the experience. I’m not a strictly solo traveler. I like traveling all sorts of ways and my last trip (3.5 months in Mexico) included a stint with The Green Tortoise (adventure travel with 30 other people), mostly solo travel, and travel with friends at various points throughout the journey. Each experience was amazing in its own way and for its own reasons.

I love traveling by myself and without a schedule or a plan. This trip will be the antithesis of that, with carefully plotted arrivals and departures. I enjoy those lazy travel days when reading a whole book or taking hours to stroll through a museum seem like the most amazing of accomplishments. And who doesn’t enjoy being able to run off to Borneo when you had initially thought that Burma was where you’d head next?

I have traveled pretty widely but I’ve never been to any of the places on our itinerary so my excitement includes a learning curve both intellectual (learning about each country) and personal (scaling plans down to my absolute “must see/must do” items).

Though I’ve never been on a large ship before, I have sailed on schooners, dhows, and pangas, so I’m relatively sure that I’m not prone to seasickness. However I admit that I have an acute fear of open water and an irrational fear of heights, and in my opinion a ship of this size combines the worst of those two elements! After reading Iva’s “Murder on the High Seas” post, I’m not taking any chances. I might have to spring for this Gadget or this Watch, just in case someone pushes me overboard.

Fortunately, my curiosity gets the better of me and I haven’t let either of these anxieties stop me before. I’ve snorkeled off the coast of Kenya, pet a 16m Grey Whale, and sailed through the most amazing biolumenescence you can imagine. So I am confident that I’ll face these fears head on because there’s no way I’m not getting on that ship for the trip of a lifetime. Join me as we chase the sun at 20 mph.

I have already had so many e-mails from people offering to be my: husband, wife, sherpa, cabin boy, porter, chambermaid, best friend, etc. that I’m considering starting an e-bay bid for the extra bed in my cabin.