CARIBBEAN INSIDER BLOG

I have been to San Juan, Puerto Rico on numerous occasions, mostly for shopping and attending conferences and meetings. I was recently there two weeks ago for a meeting and had a wonderful time.

Puerto Rico has a fabulous mix of cultures: the exotic Caribbean, the saucy Spanish flavours and the modern American influences.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico, the main island being 100 miles long by 35 miles wide comprising nearly 4 million people, is composed of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area and second smallest by population among the four Greater Antilles, which also include Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica.

The island was colonised by the Spanish in 1493 and became a major port in the Spanish Empire known as “rich port” or Puerto Rico, inhabited by slave labour from Africa. There was a brief, less than a month long, period of self governance as an overseas province of Spain before the American forces invaded during the Spanish-US war in 1898 after which Puerto Rico was governed by the military rule of the US. Following years of uprisings, Puerto Rico became a commonwealth with the United States Congress retaining control over many aspects of Puerto Rican life, including citizenship, currency, postal service, foreign affairs, military defense, communications, labor relations, the environment, commerce, finance, health and welfare. 

Puerto Rico is blessed with mostly mountainous terrain and large coastal areas providing a natural environment for tourism which is enjoyed by millions of visitors each year, with the majority coming from the US.

El Yunque, a 28,000 acre preserve, also known as “The Magical Rain Forest, Where Even Frogs Sing” is a favourite for forest lovers, hikers, and adventurers and is recognised as the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere. There are reportedly 8 kinds of lizards, 50 types of birds, 11 species of bats, 13 breeds of frogs and a diverse vegetation of 23 native tree species, 50 native orchids and some 150 types of ferns set alongside spectacular waterfalls. 

The mix of nationalities is mesmerising, with the French, Chinese, Lebanese, Portuguese, Scottish, German, Irish, Italians and Spanish all immigrating to the country in large numbers over the years. The culture is primarily a mix of Spanish, Amerindian, African and North American, leading to an exciting array of music and food, as well as literature and art. 

The country is well known for its salsa music and dancing. There are many nightclubs and bars that have salsa nights where you can learn as well as watch the best dancers strut their stuff and listen to the best musicians, perhaps catching the sounds of the most famous of Puerto Rican musicians, the late Tito Puente.  

Puerto Rico is also most famously known for its Pina Colado, a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with hard rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. Bacardi rum also originated in Puerto Rico and the Bacardi Rum Distillery (the largest rum distillery in the world) and Museum is a must see during your trip. 

There are also the famous coffee haciendas. In the year 1736, the first coffee plant was transported from Africa to Puerto Rico, probably during one of the frequent slave trade voyages of the day. Mountain-dwelling farmers, and in particular, Corsican immigrants, during the 19th century, helped found the basis of what would soon become a lucrative and prestigious coffee aristocracy in Puerto Rico, producing what many connoisseurs consider to be the finest coffee in the world. Due to its distinctive taste and incomparable aroma, Puerto Rican coffee was lauded in Spain, France, Italy, and Germany, swiftly becoming the favored beverage of kings, popes, and the literary élite. Today the Puerto Rican coffee industry boasts over 50 million dollars in annual sales. The industry employs over a quarter of a million inhabitants in 21 towns across the island. 

There are great golf courses; athletics facilities and a major convention centre so many of the Caribbean’s major events are converging in Puerto Rico in 2010.

There is the Puerto Rico Open 2010 from March 11-13 at the world class Trump International Golf Course in Rio Grande. Also, the XXI Central American & Caribbean Games will be held from July 17th - August 1st in Mayaguez.

A visit to Old San Juan is also very cultural, with historic buildings housing many great restaurants, bars, antique stores and art galleries. There is also a lot to do beyond the capital. One visit took me to the city of Caguas where we were hosted in grand style by the city officials at a conference seeking to strengthen the partnership between tourism officials in the Eastern Caribbean and Puerto Rico.

I have hardly scratched the surface during my visits, since I have so far been magnetically drawn to the wonderful shopping malls for the majority of my stay- especially to my favourite “Plaza Las Americas”, the largest shopping centre in the Caribbean, which takes a good three days to traverse, including having my customary calorie-laden meal at Chili’s and going bowling at Galaxy Lanes.

It really is a good place to hang out, the shopping is great, good beaches, and great restaurants. I am looking forward to my next conference in Puerto Rico likely in May. I am already scheduling an extra day or two to expand my Puerto Rican horizons!

All eyes are on Haiti. As the world watches this tragedy unfold, we feel much sadness as we despair for the people and the prospects for this desperately poor country. Yesterday, I thought again - all eyes are on Haiti, people will never again forget Haiti, and in time, the prospects for the future may be better as a result.

Haiti is a country in the Caribbean that has long held a lesser status in the region and the international community as a result of many years of political unrest, bad governance, violence and poverty. With a population of 10 million people, it has been sidelined despite its size and potential as an economic market within the Caribbean, as well as its pioneer history as the first black run independent nation with varying periods of great optimism.

Haiti is situated on the western part of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles. It is the third largest country in the Caribbean behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic (the latter shares a 360 kilometer (224 mi) border with Haiti). Haiti at its closest point is only about 45 nautical miles (80 km; 50 mi) away from Cuba and has the second longest coastline (1,771 km/1,100 mi) in the Greater Antilles, Cuba having the longest. Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains interspersed with small coastal plains and river valleys.

Haiti has a long and colorful history and therefore retains a very rich culture. Haitian culture is a mixture of primarily French, African elements, and native Taíno, with some lesser influence from the colonial Spanish. The country's customs essentially are a blend of cultural beliefs that derived from the various ethnic groups that inhabited the island of Hispaniola. In nearly all aspects of modern Haitian society however, the European and African elements dominate. Haiti is world famous for its distinctive art, notably painting and sculpture, and is also renowned for its poets, novelists and musicians.

There is an ongoing shame in the Caribbean which was captured in lyrics by Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian David Rudder in 1988 in his song Haiti, which is amazingly poignant today:

Haiti:

Toussaint was a mighty man
And to make matters worse he was black
Black back in the days when black men knew
Their place was in the back
But this rebel he walked through Napoleon
Who thought that wasn’t very nice
And so today my brothers in Haiti
They still pay the price

CHORUS
Haiti I’m sorry
We’ve misunderstood you
One day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti I’m sorry
Haiti I’m sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory
 
 Many hands reach out to St. Georges
And are still reaching out
And to those frightened
Foolish men of Pretoria
We still scream and shout
We came together in song
To steady the Horn of Africa
But the papaloa come and the babyloa go
And still we don’t seem to care
 
CHORUS
Haiti I’m sorry
We’ve misunderstood you
One day well turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti I’m sorry
Haiti I’m sorry
One day well turn our heads
Restore your glory
 
When there is anguish in Port au Prince
Don’t you know its still Africa crying
We are outing fires in far away places
When our neighbors are burning
The middle passage is gone
So How come
Overcrowded boats still haunt our lives
I refuse to believe that we good people
Will forever turn our hearts
And our eyes away

CHORUS
Haiti I’m sorry
We’ve misunderstood you
One day well turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti I’m sorry
Haiti I’m sorry
One day well turn our heads
Restore your glory

I believe this may be the tuning point in the world’s relationship with this country given the outpouring of concern, funds, search and rescue teams, and media. There have been positive stories about cities and countries recovering from earthquakes such as California, Skopje in Yugoslavia, Guatemala and Mexico City. By involving the affected communities in the planning and reconstruction efforts there have been major improvements of the building environment and mitigation of future earthquake damage, and enhancement of the quality of life and standard of living.

Haiti is also well poised some day for a resurgence to its hey day in tourism when it attracted the wealthy and well known celebrities. It’s strong and vivid history and culture, the possibilities of interpretations of the voodoo stories and myths, the beautiful scenery, pristine beaches, strong air links to Europe and North America, and art and literary scene continue to be a strong draw. Neighbouring Dominican Republic generates at least US$3.5 billion in revenues and millions of visitors to sprawling resorts and designer golf courses with visitors from Canada, US, Spain, Italy, Germany and other major developed countries. Most Caribbean countries now depend on tourism for their economic growth linking to farmers, fishermen, and merchants and many other supporting industries, and with such a large population Haiti could benefit from low cost inputs and rise quickly to the top of the most sought after Caribbean destinations.

We pray for those suffering and for those missing loved ones and we encourage all to contribute in any way they can to fundraising and other assistance that will be required for quite some time to come.

Join me in making a commitment to travel to Haiti within the next few years once there is the possibility to travel as a tourist, which could do wonders to transform the economy, country and future for the many millions living there.

There was so much to do this New Year’s Eve, that we dillied and dallied undecidedly until we were so overwhelmed with choice we stayed at home.

You can understand our dilemma. There were dinner/dance events at prestigious hotels, and for an additional fee you could stay the night. There were parties at top hot spots with some of the best DJs out to show their stuff. There were full (blue) moon parties at beaches to relax under the bright moon and stars. There were scrumptious menus at beautiful restaurants where chefs had been planning their masterpieces for months. There were house parties where you simply had to bring a bottle to enjoy the festivities. There were fireworks in national parks. All of these options left us with too many choices.

Many living in the Caribbean spent their New Year’s Eve (or Old Year’s Night as it is also called) at the church of their choice to herald the New Year in prayer. Many times the service is long, lasting from as early as 9.30 right through to 12.30am, and beyond, in some cases.

In the end all worked out well as I had to go to the airport at 10pm to hand over cottage keys to a group of visitors who had a delayed flight into the country due to the winter weather in the United States, as the owner of the cottages would be in church. Luckily the guests were just in time to spend their New Year under the stars drinking wine on their cottage veranda.

We delayed our celebrations until the weekend and went to an annual dinner and dance that takes place every first Saturday of the year, and had a wonderful time.

How did you spend your New Year’s Eve? Start planning now to book your stay in the Caribbean next year where you can enjoy the celebrations in a variety of ways to suit your mood.

I wrote this post last year but think it truly highlights the unique aspects of Christmas in the Caribbean and warranted a revival with some updates:

When I first moved to the Caribbean, over nineteen years ago, I found Christmas somewhat discombobulating. Where was the snow? Where were the Xmas lights along the High Street sparkling in the grey sky in the early afternoon?

With such heat and the sunshine, it was definitely not Christmas. A fellow Brit and I even had to escape to St. Kitts for their Carnival over Xmas that first year, just so that we wouldn’t reminisce too much about mince pies, television specials and drinking Baileys under a blanket on the sofa.

Over the years, Xmas in the Caribbean has definitely grown on me. There is such a flurry of activity: drinks with friends, at workplaces, at family gatherings, dinners upon dinners and lots of preparation around food.

Food takes a central position in the Christmas celebrations but there are also other things that have certainly made an impression:

1. Fruit cake – well they call it fruit cake. It really should be described as a lethal weapon. Households throughout the Caribbean have large bottles of raisins and other dried fruits in cupboards for months leading up to Xmas. Every week, port, sherry, red wine or falernum (a sweet syrup used in Tropical and Caribbean drinks) is poured carefully into the bottle, as the dried fruits are plumped up slowly and surely. The final destination? Xmas cake or black cake - a rich fruit cake which can make a person drunk just by sniffing it.

2. Sorrel – Made from the calyx of a type of hibiscus flower found in many islands of the Caribbean. The sepals are used to make a refreshing fruity drink traditionally during the Xmas period. Often the brew is allowed to ferment which makes it a little alcoholic and sometimes a little liquor is added which gives it special oomph. Given its apparent disease prevention properties, the red pigments have attracted the interest of scientists, with a possible role in the reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer and stroke. It is even thought to help with the proper functioning of the kidney, lowering blood pressure and soothing colds. Pass the pitcher!

3. Pepperpot – There are different varieties in different islands, some based on vegetables and others based on meat. The Xmas tradition emanates from the Guyanese meat variety. The Pepperpot dish is the traditional dish of the indigenous Amerindians of Guyana. The pot contains meat cooked in a cassareep sauce which is derived from the cassava plant.  The cassareep acts as a preservative, in the days before electricity and refrigeration, and adds flavour to the pot which is kept simmering continuously. 

According to the tradition, each time the hunters returned from a successful quest, the meat is added to the pot which is then brought up to the boil again. 

The dish was adopted by the African population to become the traditional Christmas Day meal. The main ingredients are: pig trotters, cow heel, stewing steak or brisket, ox tails, dried orange or lemon peel, red peppers, cinnamon cloves, sugar and salt to taste and of course the cassareep which preserves the meat and gives the dish its unique flavour.  It should be prepared at least three or four days before Christmas Day. The dish is brought up to the boil each day so that by Christmas Day it would have reached perfection and then is served with bread (ideally home made) for the Christmas morning breakfast and later at Christmas lunch when it is served with rice.

4. Garlic Pork – Pieces of uncooked bite sized pieces of pork are marinated in a solution of vinegar and water and seasoned with generous quantities of garlic, peppers, salt, thyme and cloves. The mixture is then stored in a large earthenware or glass jar (‘sweetie’ bottle), ideally for at least a week before Christmas Day. It is then cooked in its own juices and fried in the fat of the pork and served with homemade bread for a succulent and delicious Christmas morning breakfast. The dish was brought to Guyana from the island of Madeira, off Portugal and was spread to other islands by the Guyanese Diaspora.

5. Ponche Cuba – Before Baileys was invented, there was ponche cuba, a Caribbean cream liqueur made in most islands. The general ingredients include rum, cream, milk, sugar, eggs, spices and more rum. Always served when house hopping (see below) when brandy, kahlua, and even more rum is often added. Each homemade blend is different, some stronger than others, and usually more potent than it tastes. Be careful, and don’t leave any out for Santa if you want him to deliver all his presents.

6. Midnight Mass – A strong tradition among many Christian denominations in the Caribbean, the midnight mass service usually finds churches filled to the brim. Hearty carol singing in the candlelight commences from around 11am with the service itself starting at midnight. Even the children try to stay up so they can get a head start on opening presents.

7. House Hopping – Similar to bar hopping or the pub crawl, there are some people who cook nothing all Xmas day. Hopping from breakfast at Aunty Winnette’s; brunch with Sister Gwen, lunch with Cousin Timmy, and seconds and drinks with the boss. Since almost everyone has a family or work relationship (and live within 20 minutes of each other in some islands), there are a wealth of opportunities to connect, have fun, play dominoes, old talk, play monopoly and of course, eat.

Even if you are visiting the Caribbean during the Xmas season and staying at a hotel, make sure you ask for the local sorrel drink and insist that you get some fruit cake and a glass of ponche cuba. Check for the nearest church and arrange for a taxi to transport you to and from the service for a Xmas Eve you will never forget. Merry Christmas!

Last Saturday we had our first experience of selling at a car boot sale. We set up a borrowed table and laid out our used books, candle holders, spice rack, kettle, costume jewellery, used toys, and shoes that could never fit me (what was I thinking when I bought them). 

It was a very festive occasion with carol singers throughout the day and scores of Xmas bargain hunters. Under the blazing sunshine, we had a lovely day interacting with people, eating conch water (a broth made with seafood) and Johnny cakes (aka fried dumplings) from our neighbouring stall, and all the while making a few hundred dollars and seriously de-cluttering. 

It was a lovely way to start the Xmas Season as we were able to select a few unusual gifts for our friends and it was a very different vibe from walking down Oxford Street in central London in the cold. 

What a great excuse to visit the Caribbean, to go Xmas shopping. There are wonderful gift ideas including art, books, music, hand made jewellery, pottery, and fashionable clothing, much of which I have written about before. 

I found information from a Caribbean-loving blogger, Laura Sangster, outlining some wonderful gifts that are worth travelling to the Caribbean for and if not, you can purchase online. Below is a selection of her top picks: 

Rum Cake - If you’ve visited the Caribbean, you’ve likely come across this famous Rum Cake Company – Tortuga. They have been baking up these love cakes for over 24 years. They come in all sorts of fun flavors like coconut, chocolate, and banana – but I say stick to the original Golden Rum Cake. It is rich, buttery, and delicious. Buy them here. 

Towels - These towels are pure luxe, plush and thick and brightly colored with authentic African batik trim. Royal Hut is owned by Mary Vinson, the well traveled wife of Caribbean icon Chris Blackwell. She puts the same passion into her products that Mr. Blackwell has put into launching famous music careers (note- Bob Marley) and boutique hotels (note – Island Outpost). At $130 each they are an indulgence indeed, but then again, you do get what you pay for in a towel. Buy them here. Enjoy! 

Cookbook - This miniature book of Caribbean cooking fits in your pocket so it would certainly fit in any stocking. And at $5 it is the right price. It covers all the region’s faves such as Planter’s Punch, Johnny Bakes, and Coconut Bread. Buy it here. 

Coffee - This coffee is as good as it gets. Rich, nutty, and full-bodied, a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is the best way to start any day or top off any fine meal. One reason it is so good is because it does not need any fancy sprinkles or synthetic syrups. Simply black or with a dash of cream & sugar, a cup of this java can’t be beat. 

Do be careful because many people market their product as Jamaican Blue Mtn., when it is actually a blend. Aside from reading the tiny print on the packaging, you can tell if you are buying a blend if the price is too good to be true because 100% Jamaican Blue Mtn. is usually in the ballpark of $50/pound. One safe place to buy these beans stateside is J. Martinez & Company. 

Jewellery - Artist Catherine Weitzman draws her inspiration from nature and for this piece, her inspiration was likely a tranquil white sand beach trimmed by turquoise sea. This lovely locket is filled with Aquamarines and made with watch crystal. It comes in silver or gold and 30% of all sales for this piece will go to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Buy it here! 

Condiments - A small selection of these great products would make a great holiday gift! Most are under $5 so a thrifty gift this would be too! These sauces and chutneys can be dashed on everything from rice to steamed veggies, fish and chicken and potato dishes. Buy some here! 


I will take one each of all the above for those wondering what to buy me for Xmas. Get shopping!