My husband Lloyd and I enjoyed Antigua, located in a fertile valley of Guatemala, encircled by three volcanoes, namely Acatenango, Agua (water), and Fuego (fire), which loom over Antigua. Of Guatemala’s 33 volcanoes, numerous active volcanoes transmit ash onto their surroundings, making it difficult to get decent photos. However, Antigua is a popular tourist objective, with an interest in climbing volcanoes.

Antigua was the capital of the old Spanish region of Guatemala, the focus of government, religion, education, and culture. One of the three major centers of command, along with Lima and Mexico City, La Antigua was the first improvised city in this hemisphere, a wealthy, cultured complex of the church, arts, and letters.
Natural disasters devastated Antigua’s two predecessors and was called Santiago de los Caballeros from 1543 to 1773. The grandest settlement of colonial culture between Mexico City and Lima, Peru, the Spaniards erected magnificent monuments here, to their Christian saints.

Since this area was devastated by, and inclined to, earthquakes and volcanoes, the superb churches cracked and collapsed, while the devout Spaniards kept on building. The methods of construction were changed, bringing forth an architectural style called seismic baroque. This was comprised of low buildings and arches, robust pillars, expansive bell-towers, solid walls of bricks, mortar and rubble that was left over from previous earthquake, and low, wide columns essential to triumph over future earthquakes.

Some buildings were brutally damaged by the earthquakes, but they still show their original glory. Some restoration was done, but most of the battered old buildings were left, as witnesses to the epic catastrophes.

Since its establishment in 1543, Antigua has witnessed over a dozen major earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions. Demolished by earthquakes and floods, Antigua was destroyed a third time by a massive earthquake in 1773. Three years later, Spain’s capital city of Antigua, for all of the Middle Americas for 230 years, was relocated to what was called New Guatemala (now Guatemala City), and started to be called Santiago de Los Caballeros, “Antigua Guatemala” (Old Guatemala).

We enjoyed a walking tour, with a well-informed guide, of this former Spanish colonial capital of the Captains General of Guatemala. On the edge of Antigua’s central plaza, Lloyd and I visited the Palace of the Captains General, the earlier home of the Governor. With its jewels of Spanish renaissance and baroque architecture, this exceptional block-long building is one of America’s supreme examples of Spanish colonial architecture.

This tour was a great way for us to appreciate Antigua’s history, architectural monuments and museums. While strolling through the narrow and charming streets, we were rewarded a close-up look at the magnificence of the remarkable ruins, and fabulously restored colonial buildings.
We noticed wildflowers flourishing in cracks, that were opened by earthquake tremors, in the massive walls of convents and churches. We saw iron-grated windows covered with trumpet vines, and pastel-colored houses and private residences, that displayed fortress-like entrances with brass lions, suns, grinning masks, and elaborate door knockers.

We visited a lovely old home, full of beautiful antiques, that was built around a courtyard. The houses of Antigua are concealed behind towering walls, in the Spanish style, with random glimpses through an open door, of the beautiful courtyards inside.

We admired La Merced, with its magnificent façade, the best preserved of Antigua’s churches, and the highpoint of Antigua’s baroque architecture. We also saw the Cathedral and Fountain of the Sirens. We enjoyed listening to the old bells of Antigua, resounding from belfries from about sixty damaged churches. They ring in either feeble, or deep and thunderous sounds, along the tranquil cobblestone streets. The churches, monasteries, convents and museums were interesting, especially the underground tunnels; and the stories of the spartan way of life of the nuns at Las Capuchinas, whose Cathedral has 18 circular living quarters.

Processions on Good Friday in Antigua are second only to those in Seville, Spain. The festive religious observances during Holy Week highlight weighty floats, intricate carpets (created from dyed sawdust, flower petals, pine needles and fruits), along its route. Church altars are decorated with by flowers, seasonal fruits and caged birds. We heard that it is traditional to let three inmates of Antigua’s jail go loose on Good Friday.

Lloyd and I enjoyed an excellent luncheon at the Casa Santo Domingo, cloistered behind walls. The 350-year-old Casa Santo Domingo is a monastery, turned into the esteemed five-star Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, and is Guatemala’s premium historic hotel. We strolled through hallways, with dense walls, lined with dripping candles and saw abundant statues. Within this Dominican monastery, its Archaeological and Colonial Museum showed us lovely early religious art and ceramic artifacts.

Many museums are housed in historic buildings. The Colonial Art Museum is within the original 1675 colonial building that initially housed San Carlos University and is the third oldest in the Americas. Some 30 language schools, Antigua’s significant cottage industry, attracts college students and retirees. Located in a green, volcano-rimmed valley with ideal weather, and a low cost of living and widely spoken English, has made Antigua the San Miguel de Allende of Guatemala (which I will write about in another article), appealing to artistically motivated expatriates.

At 4,600 feet altitude, Antigua is a much-loved holiday destination, with comfortably warm days, although nights are cool enough for sweaters. Mountain scenery, intermingled with thick jungle, flourishes right up to the wayside in many places. There are wild cocoa (chocolate) plants, wild cardamom (spice), and trees full of oropendola nests (a jungle bird that builds pear-shaped nests hanging from woven cords, affording safety from predators).

We visited the largest jade-working factory in Central America, the Jade S.A. Factory. In a 17th century colonial house (highlighted in National Geographic Magazine, September 1987), we saw its showroom, with Maya jade jewelry replicas. Stunning black, green, and white raw jade is mined from an antiquated Maya mine, that Maya Indians toiled in over 800 years ago, who carved outstanding Maya-style jewelry. Revived in 1593, this quarry, unoccupied since the Spanish Conquest, affords craftsmen with some of the best jade obtainable today, together with the rare and cherished black jade, a veritable gem class stone of opulent splendor and enduring esteem.

Jade typifies two comparable, but separate gems: jadeite and nephrite. The jade in Guatemala is jadeite, harder and thicker, with a richer, more resplendent span of colors. Jadeite’s larger rarity makes it the most treasured personification of jade. The earliest Maya desired this stone more than anything else, fashioning it into valuables of irreplaceable artistic ability.
Most street vendors are vibrantly dressed Indian women, the descendants of the Maya. The best purchases are multicolored, and elaborately embroidered hand weavings and woven materials, ornately carved dance masks, and wooden flutes. We saw the vendors on street corners or balancing their handiwork on their heads.

We saw unpretentious foot-looms, where multi-colored textiles are woven. Antigua’s famous hand-woven textiles and clothing, with eye-catching designs and spectacular colors, are much in demand. We watched the handcrafting of impeccable embroidered textiles, and meticulous sculptured carved masks and figurines, each one being exclusive and indigenous to where it was made. The textiles of Guatemala have over 325 distinct varieties of style, design and color, each one having their own historical magnitude.

Before the Europeans arrived in the New World, Indians worked only in cotton. The Spaniards conveyed sheep with them, and the Indians now weave blankets, rugs, and garments of wool. Guatemalan naturals, as the Indians call themselves, are exceptional in the weaving of textiles. Also, Spanish tile-makers brought their multi-colored art to Antigua, and we delighted in these lovely tiles, that covered walls, fountains, and benches. In the marketplace, we saw gigantic vegetables, that were grown in the rich volcanic soil.

Antigua was acknowledged by UNESCO to be a “Historical Monument of the Americas,” and was placed on the ”World Cultural Heritage” list in 1975, for being one of the best-preserved colonial cities in all of Latin America, and because of its prominence and conservation as a city characteristic of colonial times, with its exceptional Spanish colonial buildings from the 16th century.

Antigua, snuggled in an immense Guatemalan mountain valley, at the foot of three volcanoes, is a center for ancient and modern Maya civilization. Lloyd and I relived the impressiveness of Maya culture and the colonial age during our stay. We admired the artistic squares of this town, and the architectural magnificence of its well-preserved homes, churches, and monasteries.
Antigua, the treasured city of Central America, is a town of cobblestoned streets, with the Spanish ruins of the conquistadores. We admired the buildings, that were covered with colorful bougainvillea lustrously flowing over crumbled walls, in old courtyards, and meandering throughout Antigua.

We found Antigua to be a living museum of sumptuously decorated Spanish colonial baroque architecture of the 16th century. Antigua is preserved since its prime, keeping its discerning historic uniqueness, even with centuries of destruction from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. We enjoyed exploring its superb architecture, in one of the most stunning cities in the Americas.

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SOUTH EAST ASIA

Singapore was one of our numerous ports of call on a marvelous, two-week cruise throughout South East Asia, on the venerable “Ocean Pearl.” Singapore is a 221-square-mile island at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. It has 57 outer islands that range from specks of sand to 15 square miles.

Since only from the decks of a boat can you really appreciate the dramatic skyline of Singapore, with its ultra-modern high-rise buildings, and the dynamism of the port, my husband Lloyd and I decided to experience a cruise on the “Fairwind,” a Chinese junk that used to be a workhorse plying the Oriental sea routes with various cargoes. Our Captain navigated the junk with a huge tiller, an oversized rudder and its masts were cut to allow us to go under bridges.

In bygone days, navigation was by the stars. Constructed without plans, by the “eye and the rule of the thumb” system, with ironwood called Giam, the “Fairwind” in its original form is stronger than steel construction. Safety facilities, and up-to-date amenities, were added to the vessel, and our junk was powered by engines for close maneuvering.

We sailed to 21-acre Palau Kusu Island, which was enlarged in 1975 by landfill and reclamation and changed from two tiny outcrops on a reef into an island. Kusu is one of Singapore’s Southern Islands, about 5.6 kilometers to the south, off the Straits of Singapore. The name means “Tortoise Island” or “Turtle Island” in Chinese and is also known as “Peak Island.”

According to some historical accounts, the earliest reference to Kusu Reef was during the 17th century when Dom Jose de Silva, the Spanish Governor of the Philippines, was alleged to have run aground at Kusu Reef in March 1616. The island then became acknowledged as “Governor’s Island.”

In 1808, the island was renamed “Goa Island” by a hydrographer at the British East India Company. Soon after Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore in 1819, the island was designated as an orientation point for ships entering the new port. In 1822, a signal station, with a signal mast manned by the Harbor Master’s Department, was erected on the island. (While in Singapore, Lloyd and I went to the renowned Raffles Hotel and had their famous “Singapore Sling”).

The tortoise is a sacred animal to the Chinese. From local legends and folk tales, the story is passed down by both Malays and Chinese that a magical giant tortoise attempted to save two fishermen whose sailing boat foundered, and was wrecked while in the rough seas near Kusu, going down with the strong waves. The turtle changed itself into an island, to afford sanctuary for the shipwrecked fishermen who safely swam ashore. Marooned on the island, they subsided by living on shrubs and wild shoots, and their friendship continued until they died.

Of the two sailors, one was a Chinese, and the other belonged to the Malay community. The sailors were so indebted to the tortoise for saving their lives that the two men returned to Palau Kusu Island the following year to convey their gratefulness and thanks, according to their beliefs. Along with an enormous turtle statue, the Chinese sailor built a Taoist shrine, and the Malay sailor erected a Muslim shrine (Karamat), all honoring the deeds of the turtle. Since then, the island has been revered, and has become a place of worship. With its ancient Chinese temples, the island is sacred to both the Malays and Taoists.

At the top of a hillock are three holy shrines of Malay saints, that honor a holy and religious man, his mother and sister, who lived in the 19th century. Many disciples embark on a colorful and time-honored pilgrimage. They climb the 152 steps that lead to the kramats and extend prayers for good luck, good fortune, marriage, health, harmony, and happiness. The shrines are also popular with childless couples, who pray for children.

The devotees pray to the Guan Inn (the Goddess of Mercy and thought to be the “giver of sons”) for sons, and the Da Bo Gong (Temple of the Merchant God, or God of Prosperity) for wealth, good health, and peaceful seas.

On the ninth day of the ninth moon/month of the Lunar Calendar, between September, October and November, the popular Da Ba Gong Temple (meaning “Grand Uncle”), constructed in 1923 by an affluent businessman, and home to two main deities, is crowded. This month-long festival gets over 100,000 Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian pilgrims coming to Kusu Island.

Lloyd and I noticed dozens of turtles in the ponds and were told that turtles signify prosperity, and are the sacred charges of the Tua Pek Kong Temple. About 170 years ago, two holy men, Dato Syed Abdul Rahman, an Arab, and Yam, a Chinese, meditated and fasted on their pilgrimage to Kusu. Yam became ill during the trip, and Syed prayed intensely for him. The unexpected arrival of a boat with food and water saved their lives. As time went by, the two men visited Kusu, to extend their thanks. When they died, they were buried next to each other on the island. The Tua Pek Kong Temple and the Malay shrine were assembled and dedicated to their memory. Prayers are given to restore health, to safeguard the people from danger, and to pray for prosperity.

The island of Kusu has since become a holiday resort. Kusu is ringed by reefs, that circle the island with a marvelous variety of imposing hard and soft corals, and we saw an extensive variation of fishes and crabs that are rarely seen on other Southern Shores.

Kusu Island is also well-liked for two safe swimming lagoons, attractive and sandy unspoiled beaches and peaceful surroundings. Afternoons are enjoyed, along with picnic tables, barbecue pits, and shelters on the island, but camping and overnight visits are not allowed on Kusu Island.

Before ferry services to Kusu began in 1975, pilgrims traveled in sampans and bumboats to reach the island. With the beginning of ferry services, pilgrims could take ferries from either Clifford Pier or the World Trade Center to get there. After the closing of Clifford Pier in 2006, ferry services were relocated to Marina South Pier. Visits are made by a ferry, from the neighboring Marina South Pier, to see the wishing well and the Tortoise Sanctuary.

Kusu Island once was called Pulau Tembakul, and during the colonial era, the island was a burial location for newly arrived immigrants who died while in quarantine on Saint John’s Island and the Lazarus Islands. Saint John’s is a southern island renowned for its history as a penal settlement but now is a holiday resort. Most ferries go to Saint John’s Island, which offers overnight accommodations.

Seventy miles north of the Equator, Lloyd and I found the climate of Singapore to be extremely humid and very hot, and it was 94 degrees F and muggy when we were there. With the weather, like a glorious year-long summer, Palau Kusu Island has an off the beaten track heritage and the status of being one of the most favored island getaways in Singapore. The blue lagoons, the tranquil atmosphere, and the splendid beaches made Kusu Island a perfect place for us to spend some quality time.

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The Indian Ocean, off the East African coast, has many exotic islands, such as the beautiful Comoro Islands, 300 miles northwest of Madagascar.  Each of the four islands, Grand Comoro, Moheli, Anjouan, and Mayotte, is different. We traveled to each of them except Mayotte, which had no hotels to overnight in. Mayotte, and the islet of Dzaouozi, with their ragged shorelines, are encircled by a coral reef, creating one of the world’s most exquisite lagoons.

Our South African Airways aircraft landed safely on the island of Mahe, Moroni being the capital. We saw extensive stretches of sandy beaches, and secluded clusters of coconut palms or mangrove trees. Coral reefs offered random barriers to the ocean’s rolling seas, along with some of the world’s best diving areas.

Volcanic action caused the Comoro Islands to emerge from the floor of Indian Ocean’s. We saw coastal stretches, notable for harsh, dark jumbles of fresh lava flows, and others with smoothly rounded rocks, corroded reminders of ancient volcanic activity. The volcanic islands of the Comorian archipelago were called the “perfumed islands” because of their aromatic plant life. The four main islands merge African, Arabic, Malagasy, and French influences, formerly being significant in the valuable Indian Ocean trade between East Africa and Asian ports such as India and Japan.

The four islands have an astonishing diversity of amazing garden-like vegetation, fragranced by vanilla and jasmine, and other plants noteworthy for their exquisite scents. Local men with dexterous fingers bag the vanilla beans, seed pods of the climbing orchid vanilla planifolia, orchids that mostly grow on the rugged mountain slopes.

Animal life, like in Madagascar, incorporates land birds (guinea fowl and egrets), lemurs and fruit bats unique to the Comoros. The lemurs have large eyes, foxlike faces, monkey-like bodies, long hind limbs, and have lengths from about 3.5 inches to nearly 28 inches, excluding the tail. The islands are also home to civets, small lizards and giant land crabs. Turtles flourish alongside the coasts and are exported. The Comoran waters are one of the locales of the coelacanth, a rare fish that once was thought to have been extinct.

The Comoro Islands probably were initially populated by individuals from the Red Sea, around the time of King Solomon. Later migrations brought about an assorted population, residing mostly on two of the larger islands.

The Comoro Islands were put under French administration in 1841 for Mayotte, 1886 for Moheli, and 1909 for Grand Comoro and Anjouan, and made into a separate entity in 1912, attached to the administration of Madagascar. The domain was given sovereignty in 1947, with its own administration and financial arrangements, and became a French territory in 1963.

The Comoros have been politically volatile since they gained independence from France in 1975. French troops arrived in December 1989, and took jurisdiction of the Comoro’s security, a military undertaking that was requested by the Comoran government. The Comoros have a small army, along with an agreement with France, which provides a presence.

The generally Muslim island of Mayotte voted in March 2009, to integrate completely with France, giving financial advantages to residents; in exchange, inhabitants agreed to forbid polygamy, early marriages, and other practices. Over 95 percent of voters said “yes” to becoming the 101st department of France. This meant that the inhabitants of Mayotte will increasingly receive the right to social benefits.

Traditional Comoran women adorn themselves with multi-colored sari-like dresses called shiromani and ornament their faces with a paste of ground sandalwood and coral called msinzano. There are some weddings that last close to three weeks. Normally, the mergers are pre-arranged, and it is the responsibility of the groom to pay for celebrations, as well as providing the dowry.

The Comoros have a departure of educated and skillful workers to France, and a continual decrease in gross national products. The capital, Moroni, has most of the up-to-date commercial and manufacturing services in the country. Because there is a scarcity of other economic possibilities, most of the islanders count on maintenance farming.

We went to our Hotel Issandra, and our rooms overlooked our private beach, where excellent French food was served in their restaurant, situated up above their beach. Some hotels on the two larger islands provide for a small tourist industry, which is linked to the island’s record of political problems. This impedes tourism. Tourists, attracted to the miles of gorgeous beaches and beautiful scenic areas, come mainly from France, Reunion, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Almost all the inhabitants are Islam, and there are about 670 mosques in the Comoros. Mohammedan events are celebrated, with men wearing embroidered cloaks, and going to the mosque to pray and rejoice. Sometimes, during a significant marriage, you can see the sword dance, a reminder of when wars between inhabitants of the same island were common.

Music is an extensively shared usage of cultural communication, and public squares or tiny plazas (which are the centers of daily life), and other congregating places, showcase local groups and artists. Comorian standard music combines Arabic, African, Indian, and Western inspirations, which create a driving dance sound with lyrical, harmonized vocals. Customary instruments incorporate accordions, guitars, drums, gongs, and rattles. Many successful musicians have moved to France, and others have found sizeable followings among European audiences.

Our beach had too strong an undertow, so we moved to the Hotel Maloudja, also owned by a Frenchman. Our bungalow, right on the beach, was cozy inside, and much bigger than it looks from the outside. This hotel is rather new, as the gardeners are still planting grass, shrubs, and trees. We enjoyed a delightful swim in the clear waters of the Indian Ocean before breakfast every day. There was some welcome shade between our bungalow and the waters itself, and we enjoyed hearing the waves gently lapping up on the beach every night.

Our open-air lounge and restaurant had spectacular views of the beach. The food, prepared by the French chef, was excellent and abundant. The tablecloths and napkins were for breakfast and lunch too, not only for dinner. Comoro cuisine is a mix of East African root-based stews and Indian Ocean (specifically, South Asian and Indonesian) rice-based curry dishes, along with French styles. Locally grown spices such as vanilla, nutmeg, coriander, and cardamom, are used frequently in regional cuisine, along with fresh fish and mutton. The islands thrive with tropical fruits, such as bananas, lychees, mangoes, paw-paws, and pineapples.

Grand Comoro is dominated by a dominant volcano, called the Kartala, which rises to 7,400-7,746 feet, and boasts the widest crater in the world. Continually in our vision, Karthala is an active volcano, which has erupted more than a dozen times in the past two centuries. The fluctuating altitudes of the island, the jagged coastlines, the luxuriant vegetation, and the color of the sea, afford us pleasing scenes.

Local craftsmen are skilled at traditional arts, such as elaborate embroidery on clothing and hats with silver threads, and ceremonial cloaks; wood carvings, mostly doors and furniture; jewelry-making in gold and silver filigree; dug-out canoes; basketwork; and sandals.

Although there are hydroelectric power plants, the islands still have an undependable source of water and power. Manufacturing usually is confined to the processing of agricultural produce (mostly vanilla, essential oils, cloves, and copra) for export. Subsistence agriculture yields bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, but much of the country’s food must be imported. Cattle, chickens, goats, and sheep are also raised. Cacao, cloves, coffee, and other crops significantly cover much of the islands.

Because the Comoros are islands, fishing should be a substantial part of the market economy, since the waters are quite rich in fish, but its capacity is not abundantly recognized. The industry survives only on a insignificant measure, and the copious tuna that populate Comorian waters have been fished mostly by E.U. countries. Fossil remains of the extremely rare coelacanth fish of the secondary era, and once thought to be extinct, have been seen in deposits that date back to about 400 million years.

We took a boat out, and playful dolphins surrounded us, there being perhaps 45 species of dolphins and porpoises. Most dolphins, with their far-ranging territory, have a beak and conical teeth, while porpoises have a somewhat flattened head and spade-shaped teeth. Evaluations of average brain weights in dolphins, chimpanzees, and men, shows that we humans come in second. Along with spectacular tropical beauty, the Comoro Islands are well-known for marine life, and host many deep-sea creatures. In the coral reefs around Grand Comoro and Mayotte, the waters are astonishingly clear, due to the absence of rivers.

Far away, in a remote of the world, hundreds of miles off the East Coast of Africa, are numerous exotic large and small islands, where we saw waterfalls tumbling from soaring mountains, and thousands of orchid variations emerging wild in luxuriant forests bursting with exceptional birds.

My journey in this fascinating part of the world continues to Moheli and Anjouan, the Seychelles, and Madagascar, before returning home to South Africa (where I lived for seven years) with many fond memories.

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While living two years in Togo, I explored nearby countries and cultures. We are going on another one of our adventures, with my trusty little British Racing Green 1956 M.G.A. two-bucket-seat convertible. We bounced over narrow bridges, and maneuvered around numerous potholes, being careful with my low-slung roadster.

We saw a nasty trainwreck that happened during the night. The locals heard screaming and came out of their homes to see if they could help. We also saw a trail of refugees headed south: they had been kicked out of Liberia carrying all their belongings.  A Red Cross planeat the airport, waited to aid them.

Driving through theborderbetween Togo and Dahomey, we saw numerous colorful “mammy wagons” (light trucks used as buses in rural areas of Western Africa). We observed a constant flow of men and women, with goods precariously perched on top of their head cloths.

The Dan-Homey chiefdoms were merged into a dynasty, under the name of Dan-Ho-Me. In 1899, Dahomey became part of the French West Africa colony in 1958.  It was granted autonomy as the Republic of Dahomey, gaining fullindependence from France in 1960. Ethnic strife followed as did a period of turbulence, coups and regime changes.

On the Gulf of Guinea, Benin’s capital is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is Cotonou. Named after the body of water where the country is situated, the Bight of Benin’s boundaries have over fifty distinct linguistic groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups with French being the official language. Most of the population practices religions other than Christianity and Muslimism with voodoo (its birthplace is Dahomey) being prominent.

Safely reaching Lake Nokoue, leaving my beloved car behind, I’m becoming apprehensive: no one knows we’re here, and we could be bopped over the head, disposed of, and no one would ever know. The only ones that might wonder about us are our houseboy Apollinaire, who is watching over our house and our African dog Lobo.

We gingerly stepped into a small wooden boat, and went out toGanvie Village, the “African Venice,” floating in the middle of a lagoon. Unlike Venice, Ganvie has no land, no bridges, and travel is strictly by boat.

As the Dahomey kings expanded their kingdom and pressed conquered people into slavery, they came upon the Tofinu people, who escaped, and fled onto Lake Nokoue. Finding protection in the inaccessibility of the lagoon, they constructed homes built of sticks, suspended above the water level. Fortunately for the Tofinu, the slave hunters pursuing them were not allowed to follow them onto the lake because of a religious custom that disallowed them to travel on water.

The Tofinu have been living here since then, existing almost entirely off fish caught in the lake by building artificial reef-like areas out of palm fronds, which attract the fish. The villagers construct nets to haul in the catch. The residents bathe, and do everything else, in this water. We noticed numerous colorful pirogues (canoes), which serve as transportation and commerce. We spotted many tribal scars, marking tribal provenance.

On stilts, the sturdy, thatched-roof bamboo huts are lifted on piles three yards above the lake, which is connected to the sea. Some of the houses were leaning so precariously, they looked like they would fall over. Boats, full of containers, queue up for fresh water that is dispensed by pumps. At night, the village of Ganvie shuts down quickly, and boats start the day’s business early in the morning.

Returning safely to solid ground, my car had a flat tire, which we had to get fixed. The repairman wore a beautiful, colorful pajama-like outfit. We drove to Abomey, a small town with a jumble of dirt roads tracks and footpaths. The seat of power for the Dahomey Kingdom, Abomey is the ancient capital of one of the fiercest warrior cultures in West Africa-the Dahomey. One King had 4,000 wives, and one-third of his subjects were warriors, among them about 8,000 “Amazons,” young female fighters who elected not to marry, nor to become farmers.

Dahomey, once a major supplier of slaves for exporters shipping from the Slave Coast, received abundant wealth from the slave trade.  Some accounts say Dahomey rounded up over three million people to sell to slave traders.

Active in the region for almost three hundred years, Dahomey became called “the Slave Coast.” Kingdoms like the Dan-Homey used their powers in a continuous state of war, and therefore received a steady flow of prisoners for their slave trade. Court procedures, demanding that a portion of war captives from the numerous battles be decapitated, led to a decrease in the number of enslaved people exported from the area. The decline, partly due to many colonial countries declaring slave trade illegal, continued until 1885, when the last Portuguese trade vessel with slaves departed from the coast of present-day Benin  With the slave trade eliminated, Abomey deteriorated, and the country changed to making and exporting palm oil. Only four things endure: thepalm-oil dynasty, the palm-oil industry; voodoo; and tapestries.

In the Abomey Museum, we saw gifts from France and other countries. For every cannon at the museum, fifteen Africans were traded, many going to Haiti and Brazil, transporting voodoo rituals. We saw flourishing folk art, colorful symbolic pictures sewn into imaginative cotton applique tapestries. Kings were symbolized by an animal counterpart, with an accompanying moral epithet, and I bought one. One tapestry showed a king using a dismembered leg to beat the head of an enemy. A king’s throne appeared to be a normal wooden throne but held up by four human skulls.

The region of Dahomey/Benin is for travelers, and not for the ordinary tourist. I therefore had the rare opportunity to experience a culture before it was changed by tourism.

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My husband Lloyd and I enjoyed cruising on the 190-passenger, luxurious “Seabourn Spirit,” from San Juan, Puerto Rico. A representative of Seabourn met us at the airport and took us in a van to the El San Juan Hotel and Casino for two days, with an exclusive Seabourn Hospitality Desk for us passengers.

Where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, the British Virgin Islands are a loose range of 60 islands and reefs, with only about fifteen being populated. The British Virgin Islands are about 50 miles from Little Tobago to Virgin Gorda, starting 60 miles east of Puerto Rico, and a mile from the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John (the other islands being St. Croix and St. John). With hundreds of secret bays and concealed hidden coves, the islands were a refuge for seafarers for centuries.

The main British Virgin Islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. Excluding the flat coral island of Anegada, both the United States and British Virgin Islands are volcanic in origin.

When boarding our “Seabourn Spirit,” gloved Norwegian Seabourn representatives escorted us to our gorgeous suite, where a bottle of Reims French champagne waited for us. The following morning, we dropped anchor off the island of Virgin Gorda, our tenders taking us ashore at Leverick Bay. We boarded an open-air safari wagon with canopies, for a spectacular scenic ride across the island, which is eight-and-a-half-miles long, and the third largest in the Island chain.

We enjoyed unspoiled beauty, traveling the hill on a twisting road past Gorda Peak, with its impressive slopes tumbling to the turquoise waters below: we were afforded far-reaching views of island-studded bays and sheltered coves. Gorda Peak National Park has the island’s tallest peak, with an elevation of 1,500 feet.

Exploring the picturesque route beyond Gorda Peak, the historic monument of Copper Mine Point is at the southern section of the island. Overgrown ruins at the termination of a rock-strewn road gave testimony to early mining labors. The copper mine was initially tapped by Spanish travelers in the 18th century.  Cornish workers managed the mine from 1838 to 1867. The mine provides a look of what remains of a chimney, boiler house, cistern, and mine shafts.

(Island of Virgin Gorda)

Stone-age Ciboney Indians were succeeded, some time before 500 A.D, by peaceful Awawaks, who navigated from South America in dugout canoes and who toiled the land. They were then destroyed by the fierce Caribs, whose fondness for preparing a meal out of human flesh brought about the word “cannibal.” Consequently, the original travelers to the British Virgin Islands were Arawak and Carib Indians, followed by early English adventurers, Dutch, French and Spanish explorers, marauding pirates, plantation owners, Quakers, and other newcomers.

Virgin Gorda was called the “fat virgin” by the Spaniards, who thought its outline from the south resembled a reclining pregnant woman. Christopher Columbus sailed through the archipelago on his second voyage in 1493, and chose to name the entire series of islands and islets after the German Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins, who chose death in 14th century Cologne, rather than yield to the customs of plundering Huns.

After Columbus, the adventurers, the pirates, and the buccaneers arrived, preying on the Spanish galleons sailing to Europe with Incan gold. Buccaneers of the “Spanish Main” conveyed treasures of gold and silver to the British Virgin Islands. Some of it sank on the harsh coral reefs, and treasure is still buried, with some folks still looking for the treasures.

The territory was once claimed for Spain. Her ships, headed home with riches from the New World, were consistently attacked by outlaw pirates and privateers appointed by Spain’s European opponents. Each island, with no definite configuration, and with innumerable crannies and bays, was perfect hiding bases for buccaneers such as Henry Morgan and Sir John Hawkins.

The Spanish occupied the islands fleetingly, before the Dutch, repositioned from St. Maarten, appeared in 1620. Inhabiting Virgin Gorda in 1648, the British founded a plantation economy and cultivated the sugar industry with slaves to work the cane fields, also launching cotton and indigo plantations. There were clashes between the French, Spanish, Dutch, Danes, and diverse pirates, with Britain buccaneers appropriating/rec,aiming the islands in 1666.  Britain has possessed the islands ever since.

In 1773, the islands were pronounced British territories.

When slavery was ended in 1838, the plantations depreciated, and many Europeans returned home. In 1853, after an ill-fated plantation period, the British Virgin Islands were abandoned to its former slaves. With the abolition of slavery in 1834, the population, once more than 8,000, declined to about 1,500.

We left our comfortable safari bus and began our descent to the fine white sand of the beautiful beach. It was perfect for snorkeling, with a fantasyland of coral configurations, sea fans, and vividly colored marine life. Below the clear water, we saw coral, a fascinating group of sea caves, caverns, and tunnels, with colorful fish.

The Baths is the name given to an assemblage of boulders in this area and is Virgin Gorda’s most-visited site. A local escort guided us on the Devil Bay National Park Trail, a demanding and strenuous hike through, under, over, and between rocks and boulders. Lloyd and I maneuvered along the winding narrow Trail, as well as irregular ground on foot, while climbing down a tortuous, rocky downhill path to the huge boulders. Sitting at the edge of the beach, we saw white and rounded boulders eight to ten feet high, comparable to those I saw while visiting the Seychelles Islands.

The smooth rocks were buried in the sand, and all over each other. The delightfully warm ocean flowed in, creating labyrinths of peaceful channels and crystal-clear pools that sparkled in the light that entered between the huge boulders and grottoes. We swam and meandered in a tangle of exquisite pools, warmer than the ocean water outside, while we rambled through the labyrinths that were sculpted by the surf and wind.

(Island of Virgin Gorda)

Unusual rock formations, and enormous granite boulders, leaned against one another, forming many-shaped heights and caverns. Granite is a stone not usually seen south of the Carolinas, and not normally seen in the Caribbean. It is felt that these boulders were conveyed to the surface ages ago by a massive volcanic eruption. A detailed look at the geology of The Baths is in Charles A. Ratte’s book, “The Story of the Boulders.”

Small trails led us to and around shallow pools underneath the boulders. We clambered up and down the ladders, bending, and crawling. It was challenging, inching along on my hands and knees among the boulders, trying to keep my balance, while holding onto my heavy Canon AE-1 camera to keep it dry.

A must for travelers, the distinctive Virgin Gorda Baths are one of the British Virgin Islands’ most recognized landmarks, with exquisite grottoes of sugary fine sand and secluded pools. Most people are astounded by the size of these boulders, piled on top of each other, with some being as large small cars.

We retraced our way back along the 350-yard trail, resting frequently.  Huffing and puffing, we arrived back at the top. We were rewarded with assorted fruit, and tasty rum punches, where our safari wagons awaited us, for another scenic ride across the island, with photo stops along the way. We saw charming cottages, dazzling bougainvillea, cozy-looking inns and villas, lovely resorts and luxury yachts.

The island is covered with vegetation and cactus and is populated by lizards and geckos. Birds include warblers, and there are cattle egrets on the plains. The amateur geologist discovers stones such as malachite and crystals, in the quartz among the rock-strewn island.

Our safari wagons transported us back to Leverick Bay at Gorda Sound, where our “Seabourn Spirit” was anchored for the day. We went to the Leverick Bay Resort, and to Pusser’s Bar, which is celebrated for their rum “painkillers.” From 1635 to 1970, rum distributed by the ship’s purser was the daily drink of sailors in Britain’s Royal Navy, one of the lengthiest continuous customs in maritime days. Seafood and Caribbean specialties are highlighted in local restaurants on the island.

Virgin Gorda has a natural beauty, and we didn’t see any high-rise hotels or huge resort developments. The tempo of life is leisurely on Virgin Gorda, and we could enjoy swimming at beaches, coves and turquoise bays, that are unaffected except by nature. The attraction of the British Virgin Islands is serenity, so we saw few dance clubs, no high rises, and no jets, or mammoth cruise ships.

Lloyd and I were thrilled to have been able to go to this tropical sanctuary, with its chain of islands surrounded by clear, azure waters. Our tenders returned us to our waiting “Seabourn Spirit,” anchored in Gorda Sound. The azure waters gently lapped o our ship, as we leisurely sailed towards our next port of call, the British Virgin Island of Prickley Pear.

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My husband Lloyd and I drove our rental car along a wide avenue, with expensive-looking houses on one side, and a high, coral-colored wall on the other side. A meandering road guided us alongside an exuberant natural hammock (jungle forest), and through a wrought-iron gate in the wall, we saw the impressive Villa Vizcaya. We found it closed, due to a special function, the King and Queen of Spain being here, along with television crews, so we were given free passes and returned the following day.

Villa Vizcaya, in the present-day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, is a splendid Italian Renaissance-style palace, impressively located on the edge of lovely Biscayne Bay, south of the Rickenbacker causeway entrance. Chicago industrialist James Deering, Vice President of International Harvester, traveled throughout Europe to study Renaissance homes and architecture. He acquired paintings, tapestries, furniture, ceilings, doors, gates, fireplaces, and fixtures, and accumulated an international assemblage of art.

Vizcaya began as a 180-acre estate, of shoreline mangrove swamps and thick inland native tropical forests, which Deering conserved by developing the estate section along the shore.

Deering started construction of Vizcaya in1912 officially starting occupancy on Christmas Day 1916 when he arrived aboard his yacht “Napenthe.” The villa was built mainly between 1914 and 1922, costing $15 million, while the construction of extensive elaborate Italian Renaissance gardens and the village continued into1923.

Deering created a self-sufficient antique Italian estate out of what was wild Florida marshland, to look like an ancestral home, lived in by a noble Italian family for 400 years. It was representative of a northern Italian village, with a dairy, poultry house, mule stable, greenhouse, machine shop, paint and carpentry workshop, and staff residences.

Created by about a thousand craftsmen, the house and garden are the handiwork of three architects, one who designed the buildings, another one who designed the gardens and the general artistic supervisor for all stages of the venture.

The Villa Rezzonico in Venice, Italy inspired the east façade of Vizcaya, facing the Bay, with its immense stone barge. Copied from the one at Isola Bella on northern Italy’s Lake Maggiore, the barge is decorated with obelisks and statues of nymphs and mermaids. The landing stage is enhanced with Venetian-style gondola mooring poles. In Deering’s day, he and his wealthy friends arrived in their yachts, for their first dazzling sight of Vizcaya.

Porous, perforated stone (coral and volcanic rock) was used for architectural adornment, to give the impression of age. Native materials, such as limestone, which is still used by Florida architects, give the house a distinctive look. Imported French and Italian garden layouts and elements employed in Cuban limestone stonework with Floridian coral architectural trimwere mingled. Sub-tropic compatible and native plants that flourished in the habitat and climate, were planted.

Deering called his estateVizcaya, Basque for “elevated place,” because the northern Spanish province Vizcaya is along the Bay of Biscay, from which Miami’s Biscayne Bay takes its name. For the estate’s symbol and emblem, Deering chose caravels, the Spanish ships that came to Florida to replenish their water supply, during the “Age of Exploration” on their travels of conquest and discovery. A depiction of the mythical explorer “Bel Vizcaya” greeted us at theentrance to the property.

South Florida’s love affair with everything Mediterranean began when Deering completed this sumptuous villa, which now is one of south Florida’s most impressive historic sites. Sumptuously furnished with European decorative arts characterizing the Renaissance, baroque, rococo, and neoclassic eras, from the 15th to 19th centuries. The outstanding rooms are festooned with decorative elements and furnishings that cover over 400 years.

Each side of the marble terrace along the Bay is a seawall, leading to a trellised teahouse. We noticed that the south loggia’s tea-room has exotic canvas panels on the walls, an extraordinary marble floor, and fantastic wrought-iron doorways.

We learned that Italian Renaissance design expects the house to flow into the outdoors in an unbroken line of visual pleasure, increasing the scenes yonder. Vizcaya is so authentically Italian, that it can compete with renowned Renaissance palaces.

The superbly appointed interior of Vizcaya has a central courtyard, enhanced byferns and statuary. The high ceilings and open-air courtyard welcome the sea breezes, but the salt spray and humidity harmed the interior furnishings, the enjoyable climate having a damp saltiness, eating away the porous limestone. In 1987, a climate-control system was installed, and the courtyard of the once open-air Villa was enclosed with a glass skylight to safeguard the treasured furnishings from the weather. This was completed in time for the historic get-together at Vizcaya, in September of that year, when President Ronald Reagan received Pope John Paul II. They metin private on the first afternoon of the pontiff’s historic tour of America, the Pope’s first visit to Miami.

Vizcaya’s unsurpassed and superb beauty has captivated the world’s utmost dignitaries. Queen Elizabeth of England visited in 1991, and in 1994, President Clinton hosted 34 leaders of the Western Hemisphere at the historic Summit of the Americas. In 1994, the important First Summit of the Americas, convened by President Bill Clinton,began a series of Summits of the countries in the Americas. The leaders that gathered at Vizcaya formed the “Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) that all the hemisphere’s countries (except Cuba), could join for national and corporate trade benefits.

The exquisitegrounds are over ten acres of expansive formal gardens, pools, and fountains with sculptures, and distinguish Vizcaya with an Italian Renaissance villa. We saw and heard splashing water all over the estate. In the Fountain Garden, we noticed peacocks perched on their fanciful vine-clad statues and pedestals. The shadedwalks have glorious old oaks, dripping with Spanish moss. Meandering pathways led us to small theme gardens, divided by hedges and walls. There was a maze, fountain gardens with their exotic and various plant life, and anorchid collection of about 2,000 specimens.

We went to romantic grottoes, with shell-encrusted masks sculpted out of coral. The fanciful caves of the grottoes, with their stone waterfalls, are occupied by gods and nymphs, and we saw many of the huge giants, carved of native limestone.

Deering used Vizcaya as his winter home from 1916 until his death in 1925,dying September1925 on board the steamship “SS City of Paris,” while returning to the United States. After his death, Vizcaya was inherited by his two nieces. After hurricanes and growing maintenance expenses, they began selling the estate’s surrounding land potions and outer gardens. In 1945, they sold segments of the estate to the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, to build Miami’s Mercy Hospital, retainingfifty acres, including the main house, the formal gardens, and the village.

In 1952, Miami-Dade County attained the outstanding villa and formal Italian gardens, now called the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. In 1994, the Vizcaya estate was selected as a National Historic Landmark. In1998, in conjunction with Vizcaya’s reaccreditation procedures by the American Alliance of Museums,the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust were established to be the museum’s ruling organization. In 2008, the National Trust for HistoricPreservation recorded Vizcaya as one of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places, Vizcaya’s presence on this list being founded on the menace of planned high-rise expansion on adjacent property. On April 18, 2012, the AIA’s Florida Chapter positioned Vizcaya on its list of “Florida Architecture.”

In March 1971, three individuals stole approximately $1.5 million in artworks and silver articles. They were arrested three days later, about $250,000 of the stolen goods being recovered, and most of the precious items stolen were never recovered. Included in the theft was a silver bowl that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte and was essentially priceless.

The estate, now established officially as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, consists of 50 acres with the villa and the gardens, and the remaining native forest. Ten acres encompass the Italian Renaissance formal gardens, and 40 acres are the native “hammock,” and miscellaneous.

The Villa’s museum contains about 34 rooms of distinguished architectural interiors, adorned with numerous antiques, showcasing over 2,500 art objects and furnishings, with an emphasis on 15th through early 19th century European decorative art and furnishings. Among those furnishings are ceramics, the originals of which were sent from England in 1912 but sank along with the “Titanic.” Fortunately, Deering had taken insurance and had them replenished.

Vizcaya’s genuinely Italian, spectacular Renaissance-style villa and formal gardens can effortlessly compete with the grand Renaissance palaces. The grounds, both formal gardens, and the native hammock encircling the entrance are scattered with statuary. Vizcaya encompasses one of the finest collections of decorative arts in America.

The magnificently appointed ten-acre villa features rooms of European decorative arts, representing the Renaissance, baroque, rococo and neoclassic times. Lloyd and I entered another world at Vizcaya, a place from the past, with its fabulous rooms enhanced with decorative features and furnishings that evoke Renaissance Italy.

Vizcaya is located at 3251 South Miami Avenue in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami.

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The greatest natural killer in the Bahamas has always been hurricanes. After the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian that recently devastated the Abacos Islands, and is the most powerful storm on record to assault the Bahamas (making a direct hit on the Abaco Islands), I thought I would write about the Abacos for those that haven’t been there (yet).

The Bahamas have thousands of miles of breath-taking coral reefs,that stretch over 100,000 square miles of waters, called “bajamar” (shallow sea) by Spanish explorers. The Abacos are about 700 islands, approximately 30 being populated, while about 2,400 are cays (coral reefs), and some are privately maintained. Located east of Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos are home to superb marinas, with sheltered, safe harbors alongside offshore cays. Well-known as the Sailing Capital of the Bahamas, Abaco is a sportsman’s dream and hosts renowned sailing regattas and sport fishing competitions.

The most northerly of the Family Islands, the Abacos are also called the Out Islands and are a 130-mile chain of islands.  The outer islands form a protective barricade to the Sea of Abaco, and outstanding beaches fringe the islands. The primary Family Islands are Abaco, Acklins and Crooked Island, Andros, the Berry Islands, the Biminis, Cat Island, Crooked, Eleuthera, the Exumas, Harbour, Inagua, Long Island, Mayaguana, San Salvador, and Spanish Wells.

Bordered on one side by the world’s third-longest barrier reef, and on the other side by the world-class fishing flats of the Great Bahamas Bank, Andros continues remote and undeveloped. Divers and snorkelers appreciate the coral gardens and caves, shipwrecks, and fantastic ocean blue holes, a supreme encounter being a wall starting at 80 feet and spreading down for 6,000 feet more. 

My husband Lloyd and I are on the luxurious “Wind Star” sailing ship, built in Le Havre, France, and weighing 5,350 tons. We are experiencing the hidden Bahamas, while cruising the “Yachtsman’s Bahamas,” sailing from New Providence (Nassau) to Andros, Abaco, San Salvador, Little San Salvador, Grand Bahama, and Bimini. In contrast to the showiness of Nassau (New Providence Island) and Freeport (Grand Bahama Island), are these peaceful, unspoiled and isolated islands, with no crowds. We are headed for Green Turtle Cay, one of the barrier islands of mainland Great Abaco, in the 775 square miles of the Abaco Islands.

In 1986, Windstar Sail Cruises introduced an imaginative and innovative ship and was named “the most unique and delightful cruise experience afloat” in Fielding’s Worldwide Cruises Guide. Three sister ships were designed for only 148 passengers – the “Wind Star,” “Wind Song” (which we sailed on along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama and their islands), and “Wind Spirit,” a new conception in nautical design. Each ship is 440 feet long, with triangular, self-furling sails, having 21,500 square feet of surface area, rising magnificently 305 feet above the sea, combined, for the first time, with state-of-the-art computer technology, with the adventure of a sailing vessel.

Windstar specializes in small ports and less-traveled regions, and maneuvers into shallow bays, dropping anchor off isolated sandy cays, which passengers on the super-ships can only see from a distance. The Windstar belief is to establish a supreme way to see the world, not on a floating hotel but on a luxurious sailing vessel.   And so, we sailed to glittering island hideaways, many never visited by a cruise ship. 

We sailed, cutting easily through the water, to sparkling island retreats, many unpeopled and never visited by a cruise ship, on our luxurious “Wind Star.” We anchored at Green Turtle Cay, a small island positioned off the northeast coast of the Abacos. 

A Genoese sailor discovered the Bahamas in 1492, depopulated by the Spanish, resettled by Bermudian adventurers, and held hostage by groups of buccaneers. After the Spanish captured the indigenous Arawak Indians for slave labor in the early 1500s (shipping them off to labor and death in Hispaniola and Cuba sugar mills), the islands were abandoned for over a century. The Spaniards did not settle here, and King Charles I of England, conceded the island to England.

The British began settling in the mid-1600s, but, because of the scourge of pirates and raids by the Spanish and French, it was the late 18th century before the Crown’s sovereignty was recognized. England reigned until 1782 when Spain seized the islands. The Treaty of Versailles returned them to England in 1783. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the islands became an ideal pirate’s liar and a base for slave traders.

American Loyalists were escaping the Revolution in 1783, settled on Abaco in 1785, passing on their boat building and fishing talents. The inhabitants now make a living diving for sponges, exporting lobster and fish, and tourism. Their offspring still live here, in small boat-building towns, Man-O-War Cay being the nation’s boat-building center. 

Throughout the Civil War blockade-rum-running, the islands surged during the American Civil War (1861-1865), as a trading point for outbound southern cotton and inbound guns. Bahamians helped ships from the Confederacy run the blockade enforced by the north, and during the Prohibition era, Bahamians ran liquor to our seashores. 

Our “Wind Star” Sillinger Zodiacs ran continuously to the beach (Green Turtle Bay is known for its beaches), and our tenders took Lloyd and me on the 45-minute ride to the pier for the tiny village of New Plymouth, the main community on Green Turtle Cay,  founded in the 18th century. In 1977, Key West, Florida, became a sister city to New Plymouth. There is no airport here, and it can only be reached from the mainland by ferry or boat.

Part of the “Abaco Out Islands,” it is 3 miles long and one-half a mile wide. The village can be strolled in less than 15 minutes from end to end. Cars are permitted here, but golf carts and bicycles are the typical modes of transportation. Green Turtle Cay was named after the once plentiful green turtles that used to occupy the area.  Green Turtle Cay is a stopover-point for southbound vessels during interludes of rough seas in the Whale Cay Passage.

Predominantly a picturesque little fishing village, we saw New England-style salt-box houses. Lloyd and I walked along narrow flowered lanes, meandering between rows of neat little clapboard cottages, with steep-peaked roofs (originating from New England settlers), and white picket fences.

It was interesting to see how the islanders collected water from their rain gutters into cisterns, and we noticed an auxiliary airplane fuel tank, being used to collect rainwater. 

Lloyd and I went to the old Loyalist Cemetery and saw weathered headstones dating back to the 1780s. Of interest is the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden, with 24 busts of important Bahamians, around a central pair of life-sized bronze figures of loyalist women. 

The most visited attraction here is the Albert Lowe Museum, which we found housed in an attractive 168-year-old white clapboard two-story house. We saw an excellent assemblage of carved ship models, and displays tracing the history of the Abaco Islands. 

We noticed that the Abacos have an English feeling, thanks to the welcome given during Revolutionary days. English is the language, more British than American, with musical rhythm and interesting influences from Africa, and the Indians who first lived here.

Some of us went to the well-known Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar and had the famous Goombay Smash. Others went to the Wrecking Tree Restaurant or Bent Reckley’s Sea Garden Club.  Except for the exception of fruit, vegetables, and fish, most food is imported. 

Only 50 miles across the Gulf Stream from the east coast of Florida, the Westernmost islands are a simple excursion for yachtsmen.  They also are a suitable relay point for smugglers, running drugs up from the Caribbean and South America, to the shoreline along Florida’s gold coast, which is hopeless to police. Charts of these waters had never been drawn, and there were no lighthouses in the Bahamas until 1836.

Most of the islanders made their livelihoods from the seas – from salvage from the numerous ships wrecked on the reefs around the islands, from privateering, and sporadic piracy.  The piratical wreckers showed artificial lights at night, to attract ships onto rocks and shoals, then collected the ship’s cargo. Additional ships were lost in storms and sunk on concealed reefs.

Stories of sunken treasure, off the southwest tip of Great Abaco Island, have generated fame and modern-day explorers. Seventeen Spanish treasure galleons sank off the coast of Treasure Cay in 1595. Numerous 17th-century Spanish coins were discovered, and a 72-pound silver bar ascertained as belonging to King Philip IV of Spain and valued at $20,000. 

Lloyd and I took one of our comfortable tenders back to our “Wind Star.” We departed this unspoiled island, with its historic settlement of old-world charm, and set sail, relaxing on her teak decks, enjoying the trade winds that guarantee good sailing conditions all year. We felt the soundless surge of her large high-tech sails filling with wind, as we leisurely sailed towards the island of San Salvador.

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Intrigued by the idea of staying on board a yacht, my husband Lloyd and I headed to Long Beach, stopping at Joe’s Crab Shack in Puente Hills to devour a delicious and spicy Crawfish Etouffee.   Upon arrival in Long Beach, we browsed among the quaint shops of the harbor-side Shoreline Village. The sun is bringing out all the colors of the Village, a lively scenic boardwalk of quaint shops, specialty gifts and souvenirs, waterfront dining, weekend entertainment, and boasting a lovely restored Looff carousel.

We continued to Rainbow Harbor, one of Long Beach’s top waterfront destinations, and to the Pine Avenue Pier, where Lloyd offloaded me and our suitcase, then went to park our car in the garage by the Aquarium, a short stroll from dock 5, where we checked in with the Dockside Boat and Bed, a non-smoking facility, whose innkeepers are Kent and Kim.

To celebrate one of my birthdays, we enjoyed three days on the “Obla De Obla Da” yacht, a 44-foot Sea Ray Sundancer, here for only two months, docked between the floating houseboat office and another yacht. All boats stay dockside and don’t go out, so we always have all the yachts all to ourselves, with no crew on board.  All the boats are well-appointed with a microwave, toaster, TV/VCR, stereo CD player, linens, towels, glassware, cutlery, dishes, and a coffee maker, with complimentary coffee, tea, bottled water, and snacks. 

We delighted in excellent views in all directions, of Shoreline Village, the “Queen Mary,” and the Rainbow Harbor Lighthouse that was donated by the Lion’s Club.” We can hear everyone talking and laughing on the green hill where the lighthouse is. We watched a mother duck, with about eight babies following right behind her, close to shore, and were saddened to see her with only four babies the following day. All kinds of private and commercial boats are coming and going, gently rocking our yacht. 

These are not “party boats,” and are all privately owned, so they should treat with care and respect. We heard that some boat owners purchase these yachts just to put them in the Dockside Boat and Bed program. A typical breakfast, delivered daily on deck in a picnic basket, usually is orange juice, strawberries, green grapes, bananas, bagels, cakes, and cookies.  

We have previously stayed on all the five yachts currently docked here – the “Sea Peepers,” a 40-foot Silverton yacht; the “Perfect Landing,” a 48-foot Hi-Star motor yacht; the “Crown Jewel,” a classic 1957 Stephens motor-yacht at 54 feet, with teak decks; and the 38-foot “Archangel”. We also stayed on the “Mei Wen Ti,” the only authentic custom-made Chinese junk of its kind on the West Coast, Chinese junks having been used for coastal trade for over 1,500 years. 

We boarded the sleek “Obla De Obla Da,” a lovely yacht, with beautiful cherry wood cabinetry and brushed chrome accents. This stunning yacht, constructed in 2007, had every amenity. The salon has a drop-down television with digital cable, DVD, satellite radio, iPod port connection, and a comfortable couch and table. The sleek galley featured dishware, glasses, silverware, microwave, coffee maker, fridge with freezer, and toaster.

The salon and main bedroom have big skylights. The master bedroom has a full-sized bed, television with DVD, and bathroom with separate shower. In the back of the yacht, there is a cozy lounge seating area, which can be converted to an additional bed for one adult, with a third TV/DVD. There also is a guest bathroom with a shower, so Lloyd and I had our own bathrooms, just like at home. There are excellent night lights on all the onboard steps.

The large back deck can be enclosed with climate control and has outdoor sound speakers. There is a table which can comfortably seat six to eight persons, and there is a wet-bar and fridge. The Wheelhouse has a thruster to go sideways just like the big cruise ships. 

We enjoy supper in our comfortable salon, while watching television, then relax up on deck, watching the magnificent views of the downtown Long Beach shoreline, restaurant lights, and people; and the “Queen Mary,” which looks lovely all lit up at night. We become lulled by the gentle lapping of water on the hulls of all the luxurious boats we have stayed on (which are real, operational vessels), the sounds of seagulls, and the delightful scent of the salty air.   Sitting on our verandah, with a lovely breeze, we can hear the birds chirping across the bay from the Aquarium.    

It is windy out, the yacht rocks slightly, and we can hear the water slurping underneath the hull. The movement is so mild, that we don’t notice it unless we look at the land. We had brought paperwork, and reading we wanted to get caught up on but never got to do any of it, as we were too busy just watching the world about us. It is pleasantly quiet here, sitting and watching the local scene on perfect, and clear all-blue skies.

At 5:20 pm, we watched the “Carnival Paradise” cruise ship sail out to sea, while relaxing on our comfortable sundeck. We first heard, and then watched, a party boat come in, and everyone is still dancing (if you can call jumping up and down in one place dancing) on the upper deck, and obviously in no hurry to disembark).   The Harbor Patrol/Lifeguard/Rescue boat patrolled by, all is well, and it is comforting to know that the dock is patrolled 24 hours a day by the Marine Patrol.

During a foggy morning, we watched a big three-mast sailboat silently go out to sea in the fog; then the fishing boats heading out to sea, leaving early in the morning, then returning with seagulls and pelicans flapping their wings in anticipation of a free meal, while noisily swarming around the incoming fishing boats. 

Our yacht rocks every time a bigger boat goes by, and I hear our lines that hold us to the pier, creak and groan. We watched other boats coming and going, and seagulls fishing and dive-bombing into the water, while making loud, raucous noises. Some seagulls are landing on the office houseboat while eating mussels, and we spotted seals swimming by. The “Queen Mary” let off a blast at 10:00 am that was so loud it made us jump!

Our Pier 5 is within easy walking to the gourmet “restaurant row” on Pine Avenue (where we enjoy meals at various first-class restaurants), a large movie theater, and several shops and bars. We usually get take-out from the restaurants and sit on our deck to devour our choices.    On various visits, we have enjoyed dining at “Famous Dave’s,” with fantastic blues music; Bubba Gump’s restaurant, for delicious jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab, baked in light garlic butter, and topped with Monterey Jack Cheese, and served with rice; Boston’s Restaurant, having Jambalaya Fettuccini, tossed in a spicy Cajun tomato sauce with chicken, shrimp, spicy Italian sausage, tomatoes, green peppers, green onions and black olives; Tokyo Wako for grilled sea scallops and Salmon Wrapped baked Scallops; Gladstone’s; P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (we get take-outs here, and dine on our decks); Parker’s Lighthouse for seafood; Yard House; Chili’s; and more.

Lloyd and I agree that it is marvelous to experience what it is like to own a yacht, but not have any of the work involved.   We always look forward to the unique opportunity of staying aboard the varied and lovely yachts of the Dockside Boat and Bed, with their luxurious boats that have a charm and ambiance you can’t find elsewhere.   One of our favorite getaways, the Dockside Boat and Bed, is a family-run company, whose first location was Oakland and San Francisco in 1989, and they opened in Long Beach in 1999.  Their private dock is halfway between the quaint shops of Shoreline Village and the world-class Aquarium of the Pacific. 

Dockside Boat and Bed is a certified bed and breakfast on a series of privately-owned yachts, located at 316 East Shoreline Drive, Long Beach, California 90802, at the beautiful Rainbow Harbor Marina. Their office is the houseboat on dock 5, where the staff greets you, takes care of your paperwork, and shows you onboard your yacht. The Innkeepers are Kim and Kent Ryskamp, who can be reached at (800)-436-2574, (562)-436-3111; boatandbed.com.

On our way home, we stopped at Corona, dining at “Miguel’s Sonora Style Mexican Restaurant and Cantina,” an attractive restaurant with carved Mexican woodwork, beautiful paintings on the walls, and gracious servers.  Other favorites have been the gorgeous Coco Palm Restaurant in Pomona, a sprawling hillside restaurant, on well-dept grounds with views, two toucans called Ricky and Lucy, Koi fish, waterfalls, statues, marvelous Cuban music and delicious Paella Valencia; the Claim Jumper in San Bernardino, for spicy Jambalaya (jumbo shrimp, rotisserie chicken, andouille sausage, mixed peppers and onions, sautéed in a spicy Cajun butter sauce, served with white rice), with beveled glass partitions, colorful Tiffany lamps, punka fans, and chandeliers created out of horns.

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