Half Moon Cay

The original inhabitants of the Craibbean Islands were the Arawak Indians, who lived a peaceful existence of farmers until the Carib Indians came along in the 15th century. The Caribs were known as cannibals who hailed from South America. Just prior to the age of discovery, the Caribs swept up through the Caribbean chain , island by island in their dugout canoes. they had no problem with navigation as land was always in sight.
They introduced two words to the white man, which are in use today. Caribbean and Buccaneer. The first is obvious but the second needs explaining. The Caribs sliced and smoked their meat over open fires with grills called boucans. When the freebooters and privateers saw this , they copied the idea and so became known as buccaneers.

Oranjestad Aruba

Aruba's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe. The earliest known settlements date back to about 1000 A. D. , as do painted symbols still visible on limestone caves found at Fontein, Ayo, and elsewhere.
Some centuries later, the first Europeans landed on Aruban shores. Spanish explorer Alonso De  Ojeda  is thought to have arrived about 1499. The Spanish explorer promptly exported the  Indians  to Santo Domingo were they were put to work in the copper mines.
In 1636, near the culmination of the
 eighty years' war between Spain and Holland, the Dutch took possession of Aruba and remained in control until the Napoleonic wars when the British took control..
However the island was returned to the Dutch in 1816.
Although Aruba continues to exist within the kingdom of the Netherlands, it functions independently.
Aruba has a melange of people from all over the world, South America, Europe, the far East, and other islands in the Caribbean.

These different peoples have added a unique flavor to the lives of the inhabitants of the island.
First discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1498 during his third visit to the new world, Grenada has become known as the Caribbeans "Island of Spice". One of the world's major producers of nutmeg, mace clove, cinnamon and cocoa, the fragrant aroma of spices seems to envelop the island"s emerald hillsides, beaches, and tropical forests. MORE!
  This being my first visit to this part of the world, I didn't really know what to expect. Like everyone else, for a long time I thought Dominica and the Dominican Republic were the same. However, I soon learned that The Dominican Republic shares an island with Haiti and is near Puerto Rico and Dominica is in the southern Caribbean near Grenada.MORE

Willemstad Curacao
Curacao is one of five islands of the Netherlands Antilles. It's located 40 miles north of Venezuela, 42 miles east of Aruba and 30 miles west of Bonaire. Curacao is the largest of the five islands and is also where the government has it's headquarters. The island is about 9 miles wide and 40 miles long, and has a population of approximately 150,000 people.





Fort Amsterdam
Since 1635, this fort has been the main line of protection of Curacao. The antique ramparts, with a cannonball still embedded in the chapel wall since 1804,  now house the offices for the Dutch Antilles government.



De Oude Molen
The "old windmill" is unmistakably a symbol of old Holland. Built and used in the Netherlands nearly 200 years ago, it was dismantled and shipped to Aruba. The reconstruction began in 1960 in it's new tropical home.

Emerald Princess, cruise to Southern Caribbean:One of the newest cruise ships to sail the seven seas, the Emerald Princess is one of the classiest ships I have ever sailed on.More!
Nestled between Guadeloupe and Martinique lies the island of Dominica. Unspoiled , the island 's rich rain forest is home to many rare birds including Sisserou and Jacquot parrots.
 
Dominica is also home to the last remaining Carib Indians, where they have been calling home for almost a 1000 years. When Columbus
attempted to land on November 3, 1493, the Caribs held him at bay , he christened the island Dominica and continued northward without making landfall. MORE!

Bermuda , Known officially as the Bermuda Islands or Somers Islands is a British Territory located approximately 650 miles  off the east coast of the United States.

The History of Bermuda

Bermuda was first discovered in 1503 by a Spanish explorer named Juna de Bemudez. At first both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as stop over for fresh meat and water.

Pussers Landing Tortola

The Caribbean has an extremely varied and rich history. Even though Christopher Columbus discovered the Caribbean, the islands had a well storied history long before the arrival of the Italian sailor.The
first known people to live on the Caribbean Islands in about 5000 B.C. were tribes of people called the
Arawaks and Caribs. Life was initially peaceful, however the Arawaks and Caribs had been at war for many years prior to Columbus's arrival.
The two tribes were quite different in nature, the Arawaks were a skilled tribe known for weaving baskets and trading crops,while the Caribs who were excellent pottery and weapon makers, were better known as a viscious people who would rather pillage villages for supplies and slaves.
After Columbus's first visit to the caribbean Islands in 1492, he returned several times in search of gold and
spices. During his later trips he brought builders, farmers, and missionaries to convert the natives. However, most of these men were
criminals, and soon they were taking advantage of the natives by stealing
their crops and women, forcing the men into slavery and demanding taxes.

A war broke out and in the end most of the natives were dead. The new guard built a capital in Santo Domingo,
complete with protective forts. Columbus ended up making a total of four
trips to the Caribbean,and while
he never found gold or spices that he so desired,a whole new world had been discovered!

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Blackbeard, one of the most notorious pirates

El Morro Castle San Juan Puerto Rico

Built on a headland, the Spanish began construction in 1539 as a simple tower. Part of a massive defense system that protected old San Juan, the Spanish spent over 250 years fortifying this prized possession , because through it Spain could control access and commerce in and out of the New World. El Morro protected the rich port from the sea and Castillo San Cristobal , just a mile southeast of here protected the city from land attacks.

Ultimate Tower of Treats only $30

Bon Bini, as you will hear many of the friendly locals say, means "Welcome to the island of Bonaire".
Bonaire, a world class diving and snorkeling destination is located in the ABC islands off the coast of Venezuela.