St. Martin and St. Maarten, Two Caribbean Paradises

by Jamie Rhein on

Adrienne Wilson’s posts about her St. Lucia trip have made me want to head to a tropical island for my own vacation-immediately. When my dad told me yesterday that he’s heading to St. Martin in May I started calculating dates to see if this jaunt might be doable. It might be, or I just might be fantasizing for awhile.

St. Martin shares an island with San Maarten. St. Martin is French; San Maarten is Dutch making this the smallest island that shares territory between two countries. The result is, visitors get two places for the price of one. Going between the two is easy and common, but each side has the flavor of its own country and particular highlights to see. St. Martin boasts the St.Martin Museum: On the Trail of the Arawaks that chronicles the history of the Arawak Indians who lived here at the time of Columbus and for 1,000 years before that.

Fort St. Louis, the fort built in 1767 is another historical landmark. The colonial architecture of the capital Marigot adds to the French ambiance. For the shopper in you, head to the Marigot open air market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

One place that also caught my attention is Grand Case, a small fishing village in St. Martin that has distinctly painted houses and great food. According to the St. Martin’s website, this is the place where some of the best restaurants are located.

If I do go to St. Martin I’m going to look into a helicopter trip. I’ve never taken a helicopter trip before and Adrienne’s shots of her ride over St. Lucia has me thinking. Plus, there are the gorgeous beaches to while away some hours. Here is a link to La Samanna, a resort on the island that has a page outlining the unique aspects of both countries.

Sri Lanka: Just How Safe is Unsafe?

by Jamie Rhein on

So, Sri Lanka is on the list of the 10 most dangerous destinations to visit, according to Willy Volk’s post. Willy’s not fibbing. I read the article myself before I read his post and sure enough, Sri Lanka is a place to think twice about before you travel there. My advice is to think twice, but not that hard. Things change. Perhaps, it will become a bit safer. Who knows? Perhaps, it already is.

We visited Sri Lanka during a time right after political strife created a bit of havoc-I think someone was blown up somewhere. The northern part of the country was off-limits so people didn’t travel there, but because we were living in Singapore, and had friends who raved about the place, we went to a good part of the rest of Sri Lanka anyway. Once there, we could see why the country had such a fan club.

In nine days, because we hired a private driver so we could have easy mobility, we were able to hit areas as varied as: Polonnaruwa, the ancient city built in the 12th century with its reclining Buddha images; Sigiriya, another ancient city that dates back more than 5,000 years and is also a World Heritage Site (Sri Lanka has 7 in all); Galle, the Dutch port on the coast; Kandy, the city that’s considered the arts center and the city with the Tooth Temple where supposedly one of Buddha’s teeth are kept; the beaches of Hikkaduwa, and the mountainous area of Nuwara Eliya and the tea plantations. There was a lot more in between these two or three day stops like a spice plantation and an elephant orphanage.

If you do go, notice the elephants and coconuts. Sri Lankans still use elephants to do work so it’s not uncommon to see elephants getting a bath in a river or being used to transport goods. The coconut industry is labor intensive and you will see more useful items made from coconuts then you ever thought possible. Since the coastal areas were hard hit by the tsunami, I’m sure places like Galle and Hikkaduwa are still recovering. Still, I would hate to think people are scared off from visiting. This is a country that knows how to ensure travelers have a great time. It’s also a place where tourist dollars make a difference. The official tourist website is a great place to start making your list of things to see.

Helen Keller, a Women’s History Month Gem

by Jamie Rhein on

“I believe that life is given to us so we may grow in love, and I believe that God is in me as the sun is in the color and fragrance of a flower-The Light in my darkness, The Voice in my silence.”
– Helen Keller.

I loved the quote that Neil Woodburn used in his gadling post on the cutting down of the chestnut tree at Anne Frank’s house. It pulled me right into the story, thus when I saw this quote on the website of Helen Keller’s birthplace, I wanted to share. Helen Keller is one of the women who should get a nod for Women’s History Month, I think.

A few years ago, I read that Helen Keller is not as familiar to kids today as she once was. When I was growing up, along with Anne Frank, Helen was on the top of the list of most admired females. After scarlet fever left her blind and deaf at the age of two, through the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan (my hero), Helen went on to earn a degree at Radcliffe College and toured the world as an inspirational speaker, an advocate for people living with handicaps and a well-known writer. As history has marched forward, it leaves remarkable people trailing behind, I suppose. Helen (and Anne’s story) is one that needs to be retold and retold.

When we went to Alabama a few years back, I wanted to head to Green Ivy, Helen’s birthplace in Tuscumbia. If you go there, you can walk the grounds and tour the house where Helen and Anne once lived. Most of the original furniture is still in the estate’s buildings, including the cottage where Anne lived with Helen.

June 20-24, Tuscumbia turns out for the Helen Keller Festival, a week long event of art, music, food and activities for kids to teach them about what it’s like to be blind and deaf. Each weekend in the summer, the play, “The Miracle Worker,” is performed at Ivy Green.

More Persian New Year Fun

by Jamie Rhein on

One thing I like about knowing when New Year is celebrated in other countries is that it gives me an opportunity to extend renewal. Like fellow gadling blogger Adrienne Wilson detailed in her post yesterday on March 20, this is the time of the Persian New Year. On my calendar it’s listed as on March 21 and is called No Ruz as well. So, in case you’ve fallen short of your New Year’s resolutions and Chinese New Year also passed you by before you could kick yourself in gear to resolve to do better, consider this as one more chance. This is spring rejuvenation time where house cleaning and family gatherings coincide with the Spring Equinox. It’s the time to rejuvenate by getting rid of whatever is ailing whether it is a messy house or sickness. With the other Spring Equinox celebrations going on in the world with the purpose of renewal and rebirth, it would be great, wouldn’t it, if all this spring cleaning and rejuvenation translated to world peace?

Given that No Ruz falls smack in the middle of the week, here are two other No Ruz events I came across this coming Saturday in addition to the ones Adrienne’s excellent sleuthing discovered. One is sponsored by the Iranian Cultural Center of New Mexico at the University of New Mexico Ballroom in Albuquerque and the other is in Sunnyvale, California. Both have a real party atmosphere attached and from the sound of it, great food. If you have a large Persian community in your city, my guess is there’s a celebration somewhere and you are welcome. Here’s a history of Persia, thanks to Albuquerque’s Persian community.

My cousin’s wife is Iranian, and I can vouch for the food-and the fun. I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun at a wedding reception. Dancing on the tables hasn’t occurred at any other wedding I’ve been to that I can recall. I think I might call my cousin’s wife and say to her, ” No-Rooz-Pirooz ” Adrienne, thanks for the language tip.

For the Perfect Pilsner, Try Plzen.

by Jamie Rhein on

Willy’s post about the best places to drink beer in Eastern Europe reminded me of my trip to Plzen (Pilsner) in what is current day The Czech Republic. This town is the reason why there is Pilsner beer. The name of the town is where Pilsner got its name and is still a fine place to partake in the good stuff. That’s why we went there.

The Brewery Museum is a place to learn about the town’s beer-making history. Like, back in 1307, every home owner brewed his own beer and the brewery, the Pilsner Urquell has been around since 1842. At the end of the tour, you can enjoy a cold one in the original cellars.

Plzen’s website is neatly divided into sections where you can learn about the town’s history and what there is to do. Some of it is in Czech, though. Other sections are videos put to music. The brewery video is a quick way to see how the beer is made. If you hit the play button, the video will appear.