From: paul.graveline%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Paul Graveline) 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.caribbean
Subject: CARIBBEAN TRAVEL ROUNDUP9
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:19:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online, St. Louis, MO
Reply-To: paul.graveline%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Paul Graveline) 

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or  the  mood strikes you walk into the water 'til you are knee deep  
and  sit  down.  Dip  your  mask into the water, empty it. Next (the  
kids  will  love  this)  spit on the inside glass and then spread it  
around  and rub it in with your finger. Don't be shy, it's your spit  
after  all,  and  then  rinse  the mask again. Put it on, adjust the  
snorkel  so  it is comfortable, don the fins and slide forward. Your  
mask  will never fog up while all around you people will be clearing  
and  clearing  and  clearing......and  clearing  again.  You want to  
SLOWLY  move  about  while you look. Don't so much kick your feet as  
make  your legs move up and down, articulating slightly at the knee.  
Much  easier  done  than  said.  You  will  have  the  move down pat  
quickly.  
 
Welcome  to  the  world's  largest  aquarium and feeding zoo. A wide  
variety  of  fish  will  surround  you  and will expect some of that  
bread  you  have  brought  along.  Move slowly parallel to the beach  
until  you  feel  comfortable. When you are ready move perpendicular  
to  the  sand  line, looking up occasionally to check your position.  
There  will  be fingers of rocks stretching out ahead of you and all  
kinds  of  little  grottos  to  explore. There is absolutely nothing  
that will hurt you so ENJOY.  
 
Guadeloupe Club Med by Debbie Stine 
----------------------------------- 
Last  month  Debbie  Stine  gave us her impressions of Guadeloupe in  
general. This issue she concentrates on the Club Med Caravelle 
 
My  overall  conclusions  based  on  my  first  trip to a CM were as  
follows.  I'd  go to a CM again--especially one where they teach you  
some  activity.  Even  though I didn't partake of it at Caravelle (I  
was  primarily  interested  in  the  island),  I think it would be a  
great  way  to  learn  how  scuba  (they do that at one of the other  
CM's),  primarily  because  you  could easily learn at your own pace  
without going super high on expenses.  
 
If  it  was  my first time going to a CM, I wouldn't go unless I was  
able  to  make  arrangements  to  arrive  on  a Saturday. Although I  
adjusted  after  a few days, I would have had a nicer time (not that  
I  didn't  already)  and  gotten  more out of CM if I would have had  
some type of overall orientation.  
 
CM  is  a good place for singles. This is because you can be on your  
own,  yet  connect  up  with  someone (male or female) if you'd like  
company  on  a trip/beach/ etc. You can also meet interesting people  
(yes,  married  people  are sometimes interesting) from all over the  
world.  The  table arrangements allow you to meet these people as do  
all  the other events. CM is a good place for those who like to meet  
and  talk  to  other people; however, if you're a loner who wants to  
sit at a table alone and read a book, CM is not the place for you.  
 
Paying  for the top quality room was worth it for me (a 20% increase  
in  basic  rate),  as  I  do  enjoy  some alone time--being outside,  
listening  to  the  ocean,  reading my books--and, I have very light  
skin  so  I  could  take only so much sun and heat without getting a  
headache.  In  addition,  I guess not that many singles request this  
level  of  room, and I lucked out and payed the roommate price while  
not having a roommate. 
 
If  you're  going to a primarily French CM (and I think Caravelle is  
the  "frenchiest."),  listening to french tapes (Listen and Learn is  
the  best  for  this)  prior  to your journey will allow you to have  
more  conversations with people and thus a nicer time. I only wish I  
had known more. 
 
CM  food  is  wonderful  (although I might be biased as Caravelle is  
supposed  to  be  the  best  of  all  the  CMs),  but be prepared by  
bringing a sports bottle with you for drinks 
 
Obviously  I  greatly  enjoyed  the  excursions, and I would suggest  
everyone  take  at least one of the basic ones to get a feel for the  
island.  As  one  GO  told me, CM's are like McDonald's--it is there  
consistency  throughout  the  world  that brings people back--people  
know  what  to  expect  and  therefore don't have to worry about how  
good  a  given  resort  is,  spending  lots  of $, and then having a  
ruined  vacation. I did wish CM had locals on staff & had more local  
music. 
 
Negril (Citronella), Jamaica by Paul Carastro  
--------------------------------------------- 
If  you looking for a place where all your activities are preplanned  
-  then  you probably won't want to go to Negril. If you want people  
waiting  on  you  hand  and  foot - then this is not for you. If you  
like  being  around lots of people - then this is definitely not the  
place  to  go.  But,  if  you really want to get away, I'll tell you  
about  a  place  set  atop  the  beautiful  rock  cliffs  of Negril,  
Westmoreland  where  the  coral  reef  runs as far as you can see. A  
place  where  you'll  definitely  be  able to relax and forget about  
life for awhile. The place I'm writing about is called CITRONELLA.  
 
It  consists  of  about  5  or 6 houses located on top of the Negril  
rock  cliffs  over  looking the Caribbean sea and facing the setting  
sun.  Before  I  go  any  further, let me tell you that there are no  
TV's,  AC,  Hot  Water  or  telephones. Still interested? Well don't  
despair  -  you  won't  need  a  TV, there are cool breezes, the tap  
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.caribbean