While this woman chugs away at designing a dress or costume in the Carabelle Batik Factory in St. Kitts, I can’t help thinking how nice and cozy her workspace looks. How I’d love to spend a week blogging or writing a children’s picture book story in a place like that. Anyhow, I imagine she’ll grab a cool glass of coconut water or something with a little rum in it afterwards to quench her thirst from a long day of work. Do you know K W Baker? As always thanks, for leaving a little for the imagination in the Gadling Flickr pool.
ISLANDS Caption Contest
Providing a caption for the illustration you see pictured here could get you and a pal an incredible trip to Fiji. To show how gung-ho they are about their 25th Birthday / Anniversary, ISLANDS magazine is looking to send the person with the most clever and creative caption to Fiji. The trip for two would be all-inclusive and lands you in the beautiful 500-acre island paradise of Turtle Islands. I won’t list all the prize details here, because I want to win, I mean because you’ll certainly want to head over to ISLANDS magazine for your chance to win. Seems like a pretty easy contest to enter, meaning little effort should be involved in getting your entry in there. Contest ends 09/30/06.
No excuses!
Next Stellar Stop – Bohol, Philippines
Bohol is a place of unusual familiarity for me. Almost all my Pinoy and Pinay friends speak highly of the island if not above some of the other thousand islands. And I know one day I’ll be able to walk the lands and sail the seas with my brethren and sistren from my birth country, but until that day comes I’ll just have to make due with their reports and various others on the net like this Stellar feature.
Whitney Weis gives the facts on the island paradise becoming popular with nature tourists because of its eight distinctive regions. To the right you’ll find one of them pictured. Known as the Chocolate Hills visitors come year round even when the mounds aren’t so chocolate looking. For diving fanatics there are really a couple of great finds in Bohol, or should I say off of Bohol. Balicasag has some of the best diving in the entire Philippines according to her notes and Cabilao is perfect for adventurers wanting to go head-to-head with the hammerheads that frequent the waters. There’s much more to this 60-mile long Asian jewel, but you’ll need to see the Stellar piece for the rest. It wouldn’t be fair of me to tell you all here and besides I’ll have my stories to share one of these days.
Sounds to Sail to the Islands
Sit listening to my music collection on party shuffle for an hour and you’ll find I’m all for jarring sound transitions. Follow me closely here. Music is about movement. It’s about the flowing, swaying, and gyrating movement of bodies rocking harmoniously on packed dancehall floors in places with little ventilation. Sometimes it’s sudden and spur of the moment while others it’s calculated. Most of us find music takes away in the comfort of our homes allowing our limbs the freedom to burst out in the most unlikely body gestures and some will set adrift to discover music exotic places. I’m for the later idea.
Here’s a few of my own top music picks to help you skip to the islands this summer including concert and festival happenings around the area:
5. Sail to: Portugal’s Azores islands, Europe
When: July & August – several music events happening throughout the islands.
Song: Island of Wonder – Nelly Furtado (album: Folklore)
4. Sail to: Barbados, West Indies
When: July & August – for the island’s popular five-week Crop Over festival with origins tracing back to the 1780’s.
Song: A Girl Like Me – Rihanna (album: A Girl Like Me)
3. Sail to: Oahu, Hawaii
When: August 4-5, 2006 – 13th Annual Hawaiian International Jazz Festival.
Song: Moana Chimes – Jon Brion (album: Punch Drunk Love sdtk)
2. Sail to: Ibiza, Spain
When: July & August – Clubs and clubs galore! Dance in the day or dance at night. If you’re a bit on the mellow side, lay out in the sun at Playa de Ses Salines where DJ is sure to be spinning a record or more.
Song: Wake Up With Me – Be Noir (album: Undiscovered Ibiza)
1. Sail to: Jamaica, West Indies
When: August 3-6, 2006 – The world’s greatest Reggae festival, Reggae Sunsplash, returns and the roster looks as promising as ever. What better island to be jammin’ on than Jamaica?
Song: Sun is Shining – Bob Marley & the Wailers (album: Kaya)
Word for the Travel Wise (06/17/06)
As summer quickly comes near I can’t keep from thinking of great beach destinations to spend simmering days in the hot sun cooling off by the ocean. Malta maybe? Ibiza perhaps? Jamaica sounds good. Beyond anything I’d love to take off to a place in the Carribbean like Martinique, St. Lucia or Guadalupe before hurricane season really kicks in with fierce everyday rains, but chances are that trip won’t be happening soon. Until it does I’ll just keep dreaming – as always.
Today’s word is a French word used in Martinique:
pensées – thoughts
French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.
Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis, ma reum (mère)