Safety tips for summer travel

Summer is always a peak season for travel, and while the joy of going off on vacation, visiting beautiful locations, and great shopping preoccupy a large percentage of your mind, it’s also extremely important to pay attention to your safety. Travel Rants, a blog we recently discovered, and published by Darren Cronian, has started a series on safety when travelling. Regardless of whether you’re travelling to the Caribbean, Central America, the US, Dubai or Europe, these basic tips from Darren are a good start to ensuring a safe and enjoyable trip. 1. Try to blend in wherever you’re going by paying attention to local customs in clothing and action. 2. Carry your wallet as you usually do, but put the most of your money somewhere else. 3. Don’t trust fellow travellers or the hotel staff with your belongings. Lock them up yourself. 4. Stay relatively sober when you’re out and don’t accept drinks from strangers. 5. Remain aware of your surroundings at all times. Travelling solo? The thought of travelling alone scares some people, but we know a few people well who often travel solo, and really do have fun by themselves. Darren also has some great tips for you, and believe us, they’re applicable regardless of gender. MACO Magazines. Click this link to read this entire article.

Destinations: Summer travel to the Caribbean and Central America

I have always associated summer travel with adventure. But the thought of leaving winter to go on an adventure trip to the tropics never seemed right. Winter travellers usually have three things on their minds – SUN, SEA and SAND. Time to chase away those stereotypes! This region is more complex, intriguing, dynamic and diverse than any paperback or postcard can tell. With summer fast approaching, those who wish to take a walk on the wild side do not have to do it with a backpack. The Caribbean and Central America have perfected the art of luxury adventure. Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort in Costa Rica, featured on page 52 of this new issue of Destinations, is situated in the middle of the rainforest and next to a majestic volcano and hot springs. The hotel is a boutique, five-star property with a spectacular spa, gorgeous rooms and adventure right outside your door – white water rafting, canyoning, canopy tours, rainforest sky treks and hiking to the volcano and La Fortuna waterfall. Maruba Resort Jungle Spa in Belize is also a fabulous example of luxury meeting adventure, with tribal chic rooms and a spa, which will leave you rejuvenated after a tough day out in the jungle. For you bird lovers, botanists and naturalists, the island of Trinidad, which is the most southern in the Caribbean chain has about 400 types of birds, 97 native mammals, 55 reptiles, 25 amphibians, 617 butterflies, as well as over 2,200 species of flowering plants. At the Asa Wright sanctuary, once can experience rare and beautiful displays of dancing birds, and stay for next to nothing. Me? I am a water baby and kiteboarding in the Bahamas, featured on page 90, is something I would pick and do in a second. My favourite adventure these days, however, is sailing on the MACO-sponsored Enzyme boat, which is co-sponsored by BMobile and Blackberry. I recently was convinced by the crew to race with them in Grenada where I sustained my first sailing injury. Thankfully, the crew kept me pain-free with copious amounts of Angostura rum. At the end of the day, we placed first in class and first overall. It truly was an invigorating experience with some serious competition, and as I write this note, I look forward to the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week in April and the Mount Gay Regatta in Barbados in May. So pack a small bag, book a flight and fill your summer with some excitement. Happy travelling! Neysha MACO Editor-in-Chief www.macomag.com Click this link to read this entire article.

Caribbean rum - heritage and provenance

Some of the best rums come from the Caribbean, and with the growing popularity of our region's finest brands in markets such as the UK, Spain, and Italy, the St. Lucia Food and Rum Festival is now the greatest showcase for the region's finest brands. It's also a top pick for culinary trekkers to the Caribbean. Check out a full review of last year's event in MACO's Destinations magazine. Click this link to read this entire article.

Jamaica’s Pepsi Portland Jerk Festival

Cooked thoroughly in seasoned meat, spiced with pepper, and smoked on pimento sticks, jerk – a traditional Jamaican art of cooking – will always be known as Jamaica’s trademark, world-famous dish. Foodies, especially those who love jerk, are gearing up for the Pepsi Portland Jerk Festival, which will take place from July 4–6, 2008 at the Folly Estate, Boston Beach, and Frenchman’s Cove in the resort area of Port Antonio, in the parish of Portland. The Festival kicks off July 4 with the official opening and Children’s Fun Day at the Boston Playing Field, with activities running from noon to 6 p.m. On the Saturday, Frenchman’s Cove will be the venue for an all-inclusive beach party. Patrons will be treated to some of the best cuisine from Portland’s leading chefs, and rock to the rhythms of Renaissance Disco and the party vibes of DJ Kurt Riley. Veteran Jamaican musicians Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires will perform, as well as singers Sanchez and Peter Lloyd. They will be joined on stage by a number of popular younger artistes including Christopher Martin, Noddy Virtue and D’Angel, in addition to many of Portland’s best talent. Jerk Lobster, jerk conch, jerk sausage, jerk pork and jerk chicken, and traditional side dishes such as rice and peas, festival, breadfruit and yam, will be served. This year the event will feature more than 25 stalls showcasing the best jerked foods available on the island. Click the links below to get great recipes for jerk in the Recipes and Restaurants Section of our main website. - Jerk chicken - Jerk-roasted suckling pig - Jerk chicken wrap - Jerk lobster - Jerk rub To check out more from MACO Magazines, visit www.macomag.com. Click this link to read this entire article.

St Lucia Carnival 2008 - July 18-22

If you want to enjoy a Caribbean Carnival, there are many to choose from. So, we’ve decided to give you a sneak peek to some, starting with St Lucia’s Carnival. Fellow blogger, Nyree Figueroa, from the Sweet 7 blog, kindly took up our offer to write a guest post about it. After all, who better to write about St. Lucia’s Carnival than a Lucian? Thanks Nyree! Here goes: St. Lucia Carnival usually begins in June with the calypso season and the highlight of the celebration will take place July 18 to 22, 2008, ending with a grand parade through the city of Castries on the Tuesday. Years ago, the St. Lucia government made a decision to change the date of Carnival from the pre-Lenten season in February to the summer month of July. The move to July meant more visitors and the island would not have to compete with Trinidad and Tobago. The goal was also to attract more people to St. Lucia to participate in the revelry. As a result of the move, participation from the other Caribbean islands has grown, especially with visitor arrivals from the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The new date is great timing too, for students returning home for the summer. As a result, new "bikini and beads" bands have also been created. Bands such as Red International and Just 4 Fun are popular among 30-somethings and even younger revellers. This year, due to the overwhelming response, Just 4 Fun was sold out within four weeks of its band launching, which was held at the end of April. The "bikini and beads" bands launch earlier than most, offering online registration and all-inclusive party incentives ranging from fetes throughout the Carnival season to free drinks and security on the road. For 2008, newer bands have introduced theme songs. A record eleven Carnival bands are registered to participate, emphasizing the marketing taglines, "St. Lucia Carnival 2KGreat" and "A Bigger and Better Carnival!" Three new bands hit the roads this year, Mosaic…HD. Atlantis and Toxik Carnival Band. Back for another year are St. Lucian Spirit, XS Energy, Red International, Just 4 Fun, Cozy Guzzlers, Mas Action and Rituals Carnival Band. Nevertheless, "bikini and beads" bands have caused major concern for die-hard Carnival artisans who believe that the artistry and originality of the festival are being compromised. St. Lucia 2008 is pulsating through the spirit of our people, and revellers are excited; no doubt some can’t wait to take the bacchanal to the streets accompanied by DJ Sir Lancelot's "My Band is De Best". The music this year is great. With the recent success of Ricky T's 2007 hit soca single "Pressure Boom", both regionally and internationally, St. Lucia boasts of a higher quality of music from artistes and local producers, and calypso veterans such as "De Invader" and "Ashanti" have returned. Revellers can expect a longer parade route, due to the increase in the number of Carnival bands. The proposed Carnival route starts from the outskirts of Castries by the Caribbean Cinemas parking lot, heading past the Castries market and then continues through the streets of the city of Castries and back to the initial starting point. Last Sunday, thirty revellers got up at five in the morning for their first in a series of 'Walk the Route' for Carnival. So if you want to get your body in shape for Carnival, this is a great exercise option. With July right around the corner, the fever is high for St. Lucia’s Carnival. Let’s see if you get the “socaritis” too. Click this link to read this entire article.

Trinidad Carnival - dates for a decade of revelry

Trinidad’s Carnival. It’s a festival that is always on people’s man regardless of the time of the year, and for those Carnival lovers who are forever concerned about booking their tickets in time, reserving costumes with their favourite bands, and gathering their crew, the first questions is, what’s the date for next year Carnival? Well, we’ve got the dates for Carnival 2009 to 2019. So check it out, and let us know if you’ll be joining us MACO girls on the road. 2009 - February 23 & 24 2010 - February 15 & 16 2011 - March 7 & 8 2012 - February 20 & 21 2013 - February 11 & 12 2014 - March 3 & 4 2015 - February 16 & 17 2016 - February 8 & 9 2017 - February 27 & 28 2018 - February 12 & 13 2019 - March 4 & 5 Other Caribbean Carnivals are being held throughout the rest of 2008, so stay tuned for more information. Click this link to read this entire article.