Evening star., 1938-06-19

elusive fountain oe Youth" In un.
known lands.
The rich soil produces tropical frslit
In AbundAnce-g -gun-ripened pineApples,
bananas, oranges and coconuts con-
tanning fresh milk, one Of the most
delicious Of natural beverages. sugar
cane from the islands productive
plantations r. manufactured into rum
ct several large, modern distilleries.
MANY big, comfortable boats have
- been taken Oh other runs in
favor Of cruises to the West Indies.
Central America and northern South
America.
West Indies cruises cover . vast
AREA from the north coast Of South
America, the Panama Canal Zone and
Central America to Bermuda and the
Bahamas on the north. The increas-
ing popularity Of Caribbean cruises ID
due partly to unsettled conditions In
Europe and largely to word-of-mouth
advertising brought back by voyagers
who have fallen under the spell Of the
American tropics. No where else, they
say, Is the ocean 50 intensely blue, or
the days 20 pleasant with sunshine
tempered by breeses.
Once aboard the boat, passengers
on all-expense cruises can abandon
care and enter upon light-hearted
adventure with no sense Of RESPONSE
bility for details which 20 often harasa
the traveller In strange lands. Even
In foreign ports, the formalities OF
entry have been relieved Of tedium
while passengers to Uncle Sans
tropical islands have almost none to
contend with.
The Islands which fringe the Carib-
bean have distinctive atmospheres of
their own. The sophisticated gayety
Of Havana's night life Is in contrast to
the primitive existence Of West Indian
Negroes. many of whom live much a.
their ansectors did In Africa in the
days Of the slave trade.
There Is mountainous Jamaica, once
the home Of pirates Of the Spanish
Main. The cruise ships glide into
Kingston harhor over the ruins of
Port Royal, where riotous buccaneers
held forth until an earthquake sank
their city In 1892. The docks Of
Kingston are seasoned with the flavor
OF untold cargoes, and the blue noun
tains which form . hackdrop for the
city are inhabited by Negro peasants
whose mode Of life has changed little
since the days Of the buccaneer,
Henry Morgan.
Summer cruise ships stop ct Haiti,
where the Negro population threw OF
the rule Of France during the French
Revolution and where King Chris
tophe built his colossal citadel on a
mountain overlooking the sea, and
thread their way among the colorful
Virgin hlands, visiting st. Thomas,
st. Croix. st. Martin and other Islands.
6outhward lie 0uadeloupe, Dominica
and Martinique. Dominica IL one Of
the British Leeward Islands, discovered
by Columbus on . Sunday and named
in honor Of the day, while the other
tow blAnds, Of volcanic origin, are
French possessions. rich in scenic
beauty.
Martinique was the birthplace Of
Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first
wife, and contains the volcano Pele,
which erupted in 1902 and wiped out
st. Pierre, the Pompeii Of the West
Indies. once . city Of incredible beauty.
Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad lie
near the northern coast of South
America and frequently are visited by
cruise ships. Tourists also find much
Of interest in the British,
Dutch and French-the only European
colonies On the mainland Of South
America.
TRAVELLERS to the West Indies
often visit the ports along the
coast Of venesuela. La Guayra, with
It's background Of lofty mountains, is
connected With Caracas. the capital,
BY flne motor highway which twists
upward for 5000 feet along route
Of Incompatible. beauty.
Westward along the old Spanish
Main lies the Island Of Curacao and
the ports Of Colombia on the MAIN
land. Popular ports Of call are Colon
and Crtstobal on the Atlantic end Of
the Panama Canal, while many West
Indian cruises touch 1t Central Amer