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Nothing is more awe inspiring than the South American Rainforest stretching acr…moreNothing is more awe inspiring than the South American Rainforest stretching across the South American continent from Brazil to Peru.
Reserva Amazonica occupies the heart of a 30,000 acres private ecological reserve owned by Inkaterra deep in the Amazon Forest. A trekk through the forest provides a glimpse of the enormous and amazing diversity of life still available in this untouched corner of the world. less
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This segment as featured in Compulsive Traveler Adventure as seen on CBS Televi…moreThis segment as featured in Compulsive Traveler Adventure as seen on CBS Television
St Vincent and the Grenadines are a group of about 30 islands in the Southern Caribbean with primal forests, unspoiled palm fringed beaches and virgin reefs. St Vincent feels like it’s stuck in a time capsule, a gentler time with people who are genuinely friendly, and it’s a place for adventurous spirits of all kinds.
You get here by small plane only.
Tonight I’m going to Soca Monarch, the contest to select the songs to play during Carnival. Carnival is a month long celebration in July and Vincentians come out and party day and nite. Soca is an evolution of Calypso, but it’s more dancey, more energetic and makes you sweat. This song is called La Diablesse, the she-devil about a folk story from slavery days and is full of sexy theatrics.
I’m too wiped out by the party last night. So a soft adventure with Sailor’s Wilderness Tours into archeology suits my energy level just fine today.
St Vincent has a long history. Waves of settlers came in from South America: Ciboneys, Arawaks and Caribs right before Columbus. Here we have petroglyphs - pictures and stories carved on large stones, made by the first settlers probably 2000 ago.
These monuments are very accessible. You can touch them, feel them, and even crawl on them. Adventure in archeology takes you back into ancient history. This is the god of rain. This stone is next to a river, so it probably begged the god for water. Please fill our river so we can have nice very large trouts for dinner.
My energy level is up so Sailor and I will go cycling. Sailor owns the only bike shop in St. Vincent and he is the head of the St Vincent Olympic Team. We’ll start with a trip up the windward coast. The rolling hills are really a lot of work. We end up pedaling on a stretch along the Atlantic, complete with roaring waves and a magical landscape that makes all the huffing and puffing worth it. What a ride!
We head back to the capital Kingstown. Cycling is the best way to explore this bustling colonial town.
Here you have with buildings from the 18th century from the days when the English and the French were fighting over St Vincent’s sugar. On my cycling adventure I fall upon an unexpected architectural surprise, St. Mary’s church.
This is a relaxing adventure with Fantasea Tours. With a small party we head down to the Tobago Cays, a group of 5 deserted islands in the Southern Grenadines.
Our party is experiencing the gentle breezes, the gentle rum and the balmy air plus the finest powdery beaches, the consistency of confectioner’s sugar.
St Vincent and the Grenadines is also one of the best places to have a sailing adventure. This 42-foot sloop sleeps six, has hot and cold showers, cell phones, depth sounder and even a barbecue.
The islands are in a line from the north to the south but the prevailing wind from the east. Which means that you’re always sailing on a beam. You never really have to sail too hard upwind, or you’re not sailing too much downwind. You’re doing most of your stuff
with the wind from the side which is a nice fast comfortable point to sail.
Yes I can sail, with Philippe prompting me on every move. Plus I learned that you shouldn’t oversheet the main sail. Okay. I’m on the way to mastering the lingo. I’ll be back to get my license soon.
Most Carnivals are in February but Vincentians are different. So Vinci Mas, St Vincent Carnival is in the heat of Summer. Vinci Mas means Vincentian Masquerade and is open to everyone. The Buccaneers won best costume band last year, so for a 100 dollars I get myself a Buccaneer costume and I’m in.
Vinci Mas is a contest for the best costume band but it’s also an extreme adventure: I plunge in the midst of several thousand people right behind a truck stacked with speakers blasting the same 3 winning Soca songs for 10 hours straight under the blazing sun. The whole trip is hypnotic, deafening and a total workout. I drink 22 bottle of water and sweat it all out…
The dictionary says adventure is a hazardous undertaking and also a stirring experience.
I lost my hearing for 3 days, I nearly passed out from the heat and lost 3 pounds in a day. So what? It was an experience I’ll never, ever forget.
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