Author Archives: Liz Zapata

Bermuda (British Overseas Territory)

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An enlargeable map of the British Overseas Ter...

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COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:
Bermuda is a British overseas territory with a stable democracy and developed economy. Tourist facilities are widely available. Read the Department of State’s Background Notes on Bermuda for additional information.
SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP)/EMBASSY LOCATION:
If you are going to live in or visit Bermuda please take the time to tell our Embassy or Consulate about your trip. If you enroll, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements. It will also help your friends and family get in touch with you in an emergency.Here is the link to the Department of State’s travel registration page.
Local Consulate information is available below and at the Department of State’s list of embassies and consulates.
American Consulate General Hamilton
16 Middle Road
Devonshire DV 03
Bermuda
Telephone: 441 295-1342
Emergency after-hours telephone: 441 335-3828
Facsimile: 441 295-1592

English: The Hamilton Police Station of the Be...

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ENTRY / EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS:
All persons travelling between the United States and Bermuda are required to present a passport to enter Bermuda or re-enter the United States. Travelers with questions concerning travel to Bermuda may contact the British Embassy in Washington DC or any one of the British Consulate Generals across the U.S. Visit the British Embassy website for the most current visa information.
The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Bermuda.
Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.
SAFETY AND SECURITY:
Stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which contains the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well..
You can also call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling a regular toll line, 1-202-501-4444, from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
Take some time before travel to improve your personal security—things are not the same everywhere as they are in the United States. Here are some useful tips for traveling safely abroad. Continue reading →

Lake Chapala

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Lake Chapala, Jalisco

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Lake Chapala is the largest natural lake in Mexico, located 42 km south of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara. Hydrologically it belongs to the Rio Lerma Lago de Chapala Rio Santiago drainage system, one of the most important in Mexico. The main tributary R. Lerma supplies almost half of the water input, while the R. Santiago drains the lake water to the Pacific Ocean.

This region, the Mesa Central Region, is a highly unstable geological zone. The lake forms part of an east west oriented graben which is a Tertiary lake system where the majority of once existed lakes are now dry or almost dry. The geological history of the lake is poorly known. It is thought that the present lake basin and the R. Santiago outflow originated in the middle Pleistocene or the late Pliocene. The original drainage was probably from the west end of the lake directly to the Pacific Ocean, but uplifting blocked that flow establishing the present R. Santiago drainage. Terraces provide evidence of lake water level variation due to climatic changes during the Pleistocene.

The catchment area is large as compared with the lake area, amounting to 52,500 km2. Sixteen percent of this area drains directly into the lake via small streams and runoff, while the remainder belongs to the watershed of R. Lerma. The climate is moderate, tropical and sub-humid with a single summer rainy season. Winter rains are less than 5% of the annual precipitation. Average annual evaporation (1,910 mm) greatly exceeds annual precipitation (781 mm in average). Principal uses of the lake are irrigation, tourism, recreation and fisheries. In addition, it is the main water source for Guadalajara City with a population in excess of 4.5 million. The city used 2.108 X 108 m3 of water in 1986, and water demands are increasing at a rate of 4% per year owing to urban, agricultural and industrial development.

Principal industries in the lake’s drainage basin are chemical, petrochemical and food processing. However, 93% of the water consumption in the basin are for agriculture. Predominantly untreated wastewaters are released to the R. Lerma. In the lower part of the river near the lake, much of the organic loading comes from pig farms.

taken from: http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-59.html

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Falmouth, Jamaica

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History of Falmouth, Jamaica

Trelawny Parish

Trelawny Area . Image via Wikipedia

Falmouth, capital of the Parish of Trelawny, is situated on Jamaica’s north coast near Montego Bay.

Founded by Thomas Reid in 1769, Falmouth flourished as a county seat and market center for the Parish of Trelawny for forty years. Jamaica had become the world’s leading sugar producer. The town was named after the birthplace of His Excellency Sir William Trelawny, Falmouth, Cornwall, England, and is noted for being one of the Caribbean’s best-preserved historic towns.

Falmouth compares well with Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia in the United States. Falmouth was meticulously planned from the start, with wide streets in a regular grid, adequate water supply, and public buildings. Interestingly, Falmouth received piped water before New York City.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Falmouth was one of the busiest ports in Jamaica. It was home to masons, carpenters, tavern-keepers, mariners, planters and others. It was a wealthy town in a wealthy parish with a rich racial mix. This was the heyday of King Sugar. Within the parish, nearly one hundred plantations were actively manufacturing sugar and rum for export to England. Jamaica had become the world’s leading sugar producer. In Falmouth Harbor as many as 30 tall-ships could be seen on any given day, delivering goods and slaves, and loading their holds with rum and sugar manufactured on nearby plantations.

Starting in 1840, Falmouth’s post-emancipation fortunes as a commercial center declined. This decline and lack of support for development has left many of its early buildings standing. The streets are lined with many small houses known for their unique fretwork and windows, major merchant and planter complexes, and commercial buildings, all dating from 1790 to 1840.

While Falmouth saw little commercial advancement after the 1840’s, houses continued to be built. The town’s buildings, the old and the not so old, make up the historic townscape of Falmouth. These shared characteristics weave the varied building styles into a distinctive pattern of early Jamaican architecture, and a critical mass of each variety makes the town an unusually distinctive place.

Within the Falmouth Historic District lies the largest intact collection of Georgian buildings – unparalleled in the entire Caribbean. There survive many small houses known for their unique gingerbread fretwork and jalousie windows, major merchant and planter complexes, and commercial buildings, all dating from 1769 to 1840.

Market Street is lined with the largest coherent group of colonnaded commercial buildings in Jamaica. This contrasts dramatically with Falmouth’s residential areas, where rich and poor lived close to one another in a common pre-industrial manner. As a result, there are small wooden houses and brick Georgian mansions scattered throughout what is now officially designated as the Falmouth Historic District.

Today, a visit to Falmouth is like a walk through history: every house, every corner, and every street is filled with stories of Jamaica’s rich history.

Taken from: http://www.falmouthjamaica.org/content.asp?catID=8545

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Carnival Freedom Cruise Reviews

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Carnival Legend

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Does the decor of this ship make ANY sense? Nope. Does the layout sometimes stink? Yep. But, the service was amazing from everyone and we had a fantastic time.

I should point out that I am not an experienced cruiser, having only gone on two cruises and both have been with Carnival. This trip was taken with my mom and my sister and we stayed in an interior room on deck 1. I am 26, in grad school, and I work in the social work field, so I have little money for cruising and I am not used to , nor do I really expect, extreme extravagance when I travel. That being said, my review of the Freedom: Continue reading →

Aruba Travel Guide

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Aruba in the Caribbean Sea.

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Aruba Restaurants, Activities, Tours, Shopping, Real Estate, Hotels, Diving, Fishing and more!

Welcome to Aruba!

Aruba is located in the very heart of the southern Caribbean, a 2 ½ hour flight from Miami and about 15 miles north of Venezuela. 

One of the Caribbean’s most popular island destinations, Aruba is at once breathtakingly serene and dramatically rugged at the same time. Sheltered from the Atlantic’s vicious currents and pounding waves, Aruba’s southern and western coasts are famous for their pristine white beaches framed by swaying palm trees. The beaches here are among the world’s best, and there are literally dozens to choose from. They’re surrounded by tranquil turquoise seas which plunge to 100 feet in some areas, and they provide remarkable visibility for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. 

In particular, Hadikurari Beach, located a little south of the lighthouse near the northwestern tip of Aruba, is known for terrific snorkeling. Those looking for exceptionally calm waters will enjoy Palm Beach, located alongside the island’s collection of high-rise hotels and casinos. Eagle Beach is another highly popular beach, especially with locals. It’s a beautiful picnic spot with plenty of shaded areas. Baby Beach is a great choice for families with children or for those who are not strong swimmers. The calm, shallow waters can be easily explored, and stunning coral can be seen in the channel. Most of the island’s best hotels are located on the islands northwestern coast. 

On the other side of the island, the northeastern coast along the Atlanta Ocean does not enjoy this same protection from the elements, and they are routinely battered by heavy seas and thunderous waves. However, the incessant waves here carve out fascinating rock formations such as the famous coral Natural Bridge, most of which unfortunately collapsed in late 2005. There are plenty of other formations to explore, though, and due to the fact that this part of the island is exposed harsher conditions, it’s quite undeveloped.  Continue reading →

Dominican Republic: The Rancho Cascada, Adventure vacation in the Dominican Republic

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Pico Duarte

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The Rancho Cascada is located 2 hours from Santo Domingo in an ecological park with an area of 184 hectares.
Tropical jungles, oranges, coffee and banana plantations, whitewater, pristine mountain landscapes, and Caribbean Sea offer adventurers the right area here.

The owner of the plant Rudolf Baumer is a specialist outdoor and realize for 8 years in the Dominican Republic committed to sustainable tourism projects.
The Rancho Cascada offers as Ökologde very nice accommodations and is also the starting point for discovery tours in the tropical mountains.

:: Mountain Bike Tours: more than 800 km of trails and itineraries
:: Hiking and trekking tours e.g. to 3087 m high Pico Duarte
:: Canoe and kayak tours to hiking rivers, lakes or the sea
:: Horseback riding and hiking: day rides or multi-day Outbacktour
:: Canyoning, Canyoning: Level 1 to 2 is possible, rappel up to 45 m
:: 4 X 4 tours in the national park or beach to beach

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Introducing Yucatán Peninsula

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Playa del Carmen central beach 2010

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Caught between the relentless beat of progress and the echoing shouts of tradition, the Yucatán Peninsula stands at a crossroads. On one side you have the brawny mega-resorts like Cancún and Playa del Carmen with their oft-preposterous pomp and circumstance. On the other are the proud, steadfast traditions of the Maya, the mystery of the ceremonial centers created by their ancestors, and the Old World allure of colonial masterpieces such as Mérida and Campeche. And in between, on every peroxide­-blonde beach and every patch of jungle still echoing with the roars of howler monkeys, beats the heart of Ixchel, the earth goddess, marveling at her remarkable creation.

Despite overzealous development, the natural beauty of the Yucatán abides, and with it, the reverberations of civilizations past. Set in a vast, jungle-swathed natural reserve, the pyramids of Calakmul are a prime example of nature and ancient history in perfect harmony. Far more famous and crowded – but absolutely unmissable nonetheless – are the ruins of wondrousChichén Itzá, seventh modern wonder of the world. There’s a Maya ruin nearXcalak, too, although that’s probably not the reason you’d be visiting – this tiny beach town in the middle of nowhere has another attraction: its absolute isolation from the tourist trail.

taken from: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/yucatan-peninsula

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