From: paul.graveline@travel.com (Paul Graveline)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.caribbean
Subject: CARIBBEAN TRAVEL ROUNDUP1
Date: 29 Sep 92 14:27:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: travel.1313.168.uupcb
Reply-To: paul.graveline@travel.com (Paul Graveline)
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online / St. Louis Online - St. Louis, MO


                            Caribbean Travel Roundup 
                             Paul Graveline, Editor 
                               October 1, 1992 
                                   Number 28 
CONTENTS FOR OCTOBER 1992 
-------------------------- 
1/ Caribbean News Summary. 
2/ Special Report from Haiti by Patricia Wolf. 
3/ Journeys and Notes. 
Antigua (Sandals) by Denis Kavemeier 
Bahamas Nassau (Pirates Cove Inn) by Brad Felmly 
Grand Bahama by William Edgeworth 
Jamaica (Jamaica,Jamaica and FDR) by Brad Hill 
Jamaica "The Party" 
St. Martin by Paul Watson 
Turks and Caicos Club Med by Richard Potenza 
Villa Renting in the Caribbean by Lan Sluder 
 
I CARIBBEAN NEWS 
---------------- 
 
CARICOM 
------- 
Caricom,  the  trading  block  of Caribbean nations, has negotiated an  
interesting  deal  with  Venezuela.  According  to the agreement there  
will  be  one-way  free  trade from Caricom nations to Venezuela until  
1998  and  after  that  Venezuela  will  get  free access with Caricom  
countries.  Venezuela  has unsuccessfully sought to become a member of  
Caricom in the past. A number of products are included in this deal.  
 
This  may  signal a major shift in Caribbean trade policies which have  
frequently  been  highly  protective.  There is some evidence that the  
traditional  opposition  to  Caribbean  external  free  trade  may  be  
softening   The  Caribbean  is  very  concerned about the emergence of  
free  trade  pacts  in  Europe,  North  America (in which they are not  
presently included) and Asia.  
 
Guyana 
------ 
After  much  delay  elections  have been set of Oct. 5. There has been  
two  postponements  due  to  a  number  of  factors including constant  
disputes  over  the  eligible  voter  list.   This  election  will  be  
monitored by international observers. 
 
II SPECIAL REPORT FROM HAITI BY PATRICIA WOLF 
----------------------------------------------- 
 
Our  regular  correspondent Patricia Wolf returned from Haiti in early  
September.  Although  her  comments  focus  more  on the political and  
social  aspects  of  present  day  Haiti than on travel related items,  
they  provide  a  rare  first hand glimpse of that impoverished island  
and warrants our attention.  
 
I  to  Haiti  went  to  visit  a  child  sponsored  through Childreach  
International  (formerly Foster Parents Plan) in an area called Croix- 
de-Bouquets.  I  got  hooked  up  with a nun who was on my flight from  
Miami,  who  took  me  under  her  wing  (habit?)  as  she and another  
Franciscan  nun  were working on a health project on the southern edge  
of  the island. My friends then took me for a short tour on the way to  
my hotel, and I invited them for breakfast the next morning.  
I  stayed  at  the Hotel Olaffson, an old gingerbread Victorian with a  
quirky  international  clientele.  It  was  mainly  empty  while I was  
there,  as  are  most  of  the  tourist type places. The rooms are all  
different.  They  have  cottages  named  after  famous writers (Graham  
Greene,  for  example), and I was put in one of those at first. It was  
almost  entirely  screened,  including  a  tiny  porch  with table and  
chairs  for  eating, writing, or whatever. There was an almost Arabian  
styled  mosquito  net  over  one of the beds (a good idea, as there is  
malaria  and  Dengue  fever,  both mosquito born diseases, in Haiti at  
present).  Anyway,  although there was a good breeze most of the time,  
I wimped out, and asked for one of the air conditioned rooms.  
 
The  room I was given was VERY large, with a large, almost ante-bellum  
balcony  with  a single bed and table and chairs which was unscreened.  
The  air  conditioner  was  a  small window unit type, and worked very  
hard  to  cool  off the room, but made it much more comfortable for me  
to  sleep. The bed was the largest I have ever seen. It could sleep 6!  
It  was  very  high  off the ground, and was a four-poster, no canopy.  
Art  on  every  surface  of the room, as well as throughout the hotel.  
Only  a trickle of water from the shower, but both hot and cold if you  
were  patient. The lobby floor, which looked like a dark mahogany, was  
rotted  through  underneath  in a few places, which gave you a sinking  
sensation  if  you  stepped  there (of course I did... many times, and  
almost twisted my ankle).  
 
They  have  a  little  room off of the lobby which is actually open to  
the  air with only a corrugated plastic covering to keep out the rain.  
The  back  wall  is  actually  the  cliffside  with the roots of trees  
showing.  It  is  really  interesting  looking,  and  gave it a unique  
atmosphere.  This  is  where  they have their house band, RAM, play on  
Saturdays  (they  just  got  a  record contract, so look for them in a  
town  near  you.  They  will  be  touring the U.S. soon). The music is  
similar  in  many ways to Jamaican music, and in fact they played some  
of  the same songs I've heard in Jamaica and on Les Levinowitz's tape,  
(continued)