Christine and Ed Retirement Travels

The island of Antigua, formed by lava being emitted from submarine volcanoes, is known to have been inhabited since 2400 BC. It is claimed that there are 365 beaches on the island of Antigua, one for every day of the year, and there is a perfect climate to help enjoy those beaches. North east trade winds prevail and help in keeping the air  comfortable, with low humidity, and in tempering the mid 20s C temperatures. Antigua became an independent nation in 1981 but the love of cricket has remained. Cricket is played here on any day, at any time, and has produced a number of world level cricketers. Richie Richardson, Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Andy Roberts, to name a few. Christopher Columbus is considered to be the first European to show interest in this island and named it after the church of Santa Maria de la Antigua, in Seville, Spain. In 1632, the British colonized the island and the arrival of Sir Christopher Codrington in 1684, triggered development of large scale sug

When the British arrived in Barbados in 1627 the island was completely unoccupied. Although, at various times previously, it had been home to Caribs, Arawaks and the Portuguese and not until 1966 did it become an independent nation. It is one of the few Caribbean islands to to be continuously under the control of  a single nation. The island experiences a tropical, wet and dry, climate, which means that drenching rain falls from June through January, and dry sunny days are experienced for the balance of the year. Temperatures are generally in the mid to high 20s C. On Barbados, amidst sandy beaches, azure blue ocean, and lush tropical fields, English tradition mixes with African heritage to create a unique and vibrant culture. While tea is enjoyed in the afternoon and cricket is enjoyed as a national sport, roadside fruit stands and fried fish stalls pop up almost everywhere. Barbados is the most easterly of all of the Caribbean islands and Bridgetown, the capital, established itse

Port of Spain, located on Trinidad’s northwest coast, is the capital city of  Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad was founded by Christopher Columbus during his 1498 voyage of discovery. The Island remained under Spanish rule until 1797 when, along with neighbour island Tobago, both became a two island colony until independence was granted in 1962. Trinidad is the southernmost Island in the Caribbean and is situated 12km from the coast of Venezuela. English is the official language but ‘patois’ is commonly heard - a slang version of French which is quite commonly used on many of the islands. Trinidad/Tobago is one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the Caribbean, and is also listed in the top 50 in the world when GDP per capita is measured. It is the second richest country in the Caribbean with its economy strongly influenced by the petroleum industry. Manufacturing is also a strong component of the local economy, there is a thriving port, citrus and cocoa are also importan

The name Devil’s Island, located 16km east of French Guiana, South America, has been popularized in print and film, while referencing the name of Papillon. Papillon was the nickname, based on his chest tattoo of a butterfly, of Heri Charrière, a petty criminal who had been wrongly accused of murder and was transported to Devil’s Island to serve his sentence. The film versions of life in the ‘Devil’s Island’ penal system clearly depicts the harsh environment in which everyone lived; prisoners and guards. Devil’s Island, named as such by the prisoners because, to them, it perfectly reflected the situation they had found themselves in. It was a place of despair, sickness and death. The islands were infested with mosquitos and tropical diseases, accommodation conditions were insanitary, punishments were harsh, prisoner on prisoner violence was very common and the survival rate was very low. For the period between 1852, when the prisons opened, and 1953, when they ceased to be used, the