So where do I start. I guess by telling you I have always had a thing about the water, the sun, and the sand. It probably started sometime when I was a little boy, going to the lake with my father. We had several boats, not big ones, but big enough to put a smile on my face when my dad would say “c’mon boy, lets load up the boat”. And off we would go to a local lake, or Grindstone City in Michigan’s thumb area or Drummond Island in the Upper Peninsula or who knows where.
And so, we would spend hours on the lakes, either fishing, or just enjoying the sun. As time went on, and I got older, girls took the place of fishing poles and we sold the boats. But the beach was still there and summer months would be filled with as much time on those Michigan beaches as I could fit in.
And then came high school graduation and ultimately, it was off to Boot Camp! The Army was only supposed to be a 3 year thing. But it turned into a part time career that spanned 20 years. A few good things came out of the Active Duty period. I was able to live down in Augusta, Georgia and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Because of their locations, I was able to travel to the coast several times. The Ocean is something to see and I can remember many days of goofing off at Daytona Beach and Myrtle Beach.
Honduras, Central America
But my first real out of the country experience was during a 60 day field exercise down in Honduras. That is one of the great things about the military. You have the opportunity to spend extended periods in some very exotic locations and it doesn’t cost you a dime. Well, in my case it cost quite a bit of money because I volunteered to stay an extra month with a Detachment until the end of May.
This was when the ship was due in to port and we would be in charge of loading our military vehicles on the ship for the return sail back to the United States. We stayed in Puerto Cortez inside a compound called the Zona Libre (Free Zone). Inside this fenced in compound were several warehouses and factories. Every morning the ladies would file through the gates by the hundreds to work as seamstresses in these buildings without air conditioning. Several of the guys would flirt with them and eat lunch at the on site lunch stand.
At one point, I was able to tour one of the factories and found they made shirts for JC Penny’s - it was interesting to see that first hand. Also inside the Zona Libre was an alcohol distributor. I made friends with them right from the start and they would cash my checks so money, or booze, was never a problem down there!!
And it was during Cinco De Mayo!! What a party that was. I recall the teams of men coming in from the countryside to build the tiki huts on the beach. What I didn’t know was this area of Puerto Cortez was one of the main hubs for celebrations in the region. So, the population swelled to 10 times the size during the festival.
In downtown Puerto Cortez you could find all kinds of shopping deals, lots more great food, and everything else that goes with a major port city. Day after day the Merchant Marine’s would sail in with the cargo ships that would come and go, shipping out the country’s products to waiting consumers in the United States.
Although we didn’t deserve it, we as Americans were treated like royalty. Many of the Honduran youth were studying English in the schools and went out of their way to practice their English on us. Which also got us into areas we probably would not have been able to be otherwise. I remember a party we were invited to in a upper class area of the city. It was right on the ocean and had a walled indoor / outdoor pool.
The house was beautiful and the people were friendly. One thing happened that could have turned into a problem, we brought one of the first Hummers the military had in its fleet. Now they are commonplace but back in 1987, they were just making their mark as the military’s workhorse vehicle. Actually, it was Air Force property but hey, give some Army guys a toy and all the diesel fuel we can burn and you just got to know we are going to put it to the test.
We decided after a few cocktails to introduce our new Honduran friends to the sport of Bubba style off road 4-wheeling. Actually, it was more like beachside wave jumping. We took about 4 of them for “a ride”. We were having a blast spraying water all over the place but the Hondurans must have thought we were crazy, had a death wish and wanted company because their usually brown faces were white as goasts.
It didn’t help when we hit a underwater rock – more like a boulder and it sent us in the air. They could not wait to get out of the Hummer and no amount of explaining could get them to lighten up. But looking back, I understand that it’s just not something that would ever enter their brain to beat on a vehicle the way we did. Down there if you have a vehicle it’s a luxury and you want it to last.
I also became friends with our water purification guys and we wound up exploring the countryside with our personal Honduran guide. We found our guide on one of the many trips to the bars in the evening. He couldn’t speak much English but he knew his way around and we were able to converse through hand signals and limited Spanish.
Another one of the personal highlights of the trip was an order that came down from the Department of Defense and US Customs. We were sent a list of items that were brought down to Honduras that could not be brought back into the United States. Essentially, we were ordered to either throw away, or give away Army property. Its important to understand that during that period, the Hondurans loved that we were there and welcomed us everywhere we went.
Being an American in a third world country, and being US military, we needed more stuff than the average Honduran ever would to do our business. So that meant several more dollars flowing through their economy, more jobs, ect. So basically, they liked us and now we set forth to give away several thousands of dollars in items ranging from toilet paper to quarts of motor oil. Yes, quarts of oil, brand new, in sealed plastic containers was not allowed back in the States. We were told “burn it or give it away”.
The motor oil was a big hit and because we had well over 500 vehicles in country, we had a bunch of oil. Apparently in Honduras its common practice to strain and re-use old motor oil so for them to have new oil was quite a luxury. Again, more things we take for granted. I even gave away toilet seats – another one of those things third world countries lacked at the time.
But I did make friends with several great people. One person that comes to mind was a restaurant owner who had a little place on the water. At one point in his career he was Farrah Fawcet’s personal chef. He had photos of the two of them together. Man could this guy cook, and the prices were great too. I remember many meals starting out with a salad, then on to a nice steak combined with a couple of nice sized lobster tails and fried Plantain on the side. But not just any Plantain – this guy could cook it like I have never had it since then. I tried several times to re-create the flavor but it just was not the same. Sweet but not too sweet, just the right amount of texture while maintaining a tender bite.
 The fisherman would bring their catch up to the shore and bring it inside my new Honduran friend's restaurant. There was a young boy, probably 14 or 15, that would row ashore every day with his father in their beat up old fishing skiff. For this kid’s age and as you can see, he clearly had amazing upper body strength from all the swimming he did. I kind of envied his way of life. All that concerned him was the days catch. And the boy and his father never seemed to have a dry day as far as I could see. The quality of the catch they would bring in was also no problem because they always sold their catch. I remember huge lobsters, more like sea monsters than your average lobster you could expect from a place like Red Lobster!! This country is third world at its finest.
Virginia Beach Lifeguard Stand #18
Over a 1987 Thanksgiving annual leave break, I went back up to Michigan, where I met my future wife and love of my life. We met one night at a local bar and kept in touch over the phone. In April of 1988 my initial enlistment was up, and so with a decision to make, go south or go north, I traveled back to Michigan.
We dated for quite a few years and took several vacations together, During one of our vacations in Virginia Beach, I took her down to the beach after dark where we found a empty lifeguard stand. Watching the ocean waves come in on a moonlit night is something that you just can’t describe, you just have to see it to understand. And so, more nervous than I have ever been in my life, I got down on one knee, and proposed to her. She accepted and in 1992, we got married.
It seems that both of us have some kind of weird attraction for the water and sun because we chose Daytona Beach for our honeymoon destination. We had such a great time that years later, we would travel there again so our 5 year old son could see the ocean for the first time.
Our First Trip To Jamaica
 My wife and I made our first trip to the Caribbean in 1993. After months of deliberation, discussion and disagreement, a destination was chosen.
Negril, Jamaica was our chosen path and from the moment we set foot on the tarmack of Norman Manley International Airport in Montego Bay, our lives would never be the same. The door of the aircraft opens and the humid, salty air hits you and either you get a smile on your face (us) or you might just be in the wrong place. For us - we knew it was going to be one of the coolest times of our life.
We met some great people down there. from "Rasta Ralphie" (a native islander with a wide smile, great personality, and a knack for keeping people entertained through music) to Rob in Negril (An American Ex-Pat living the island dream) and many others who opened up to us like we had known each other for years.
All in all - it was a great trip with many memories and as the plane lifted off the ground, we vowed to come back the very next year. Well, that didn't happen again until my 40th birthday in 2006!!
But many other great trips did happen like our trip to Aruba and our upcoming trips to Cancun in November 2007 and the Dominican Republic trip set for Spring 2008.
So the point and purpose of this web site is to share a love of travel to the Caribbean, provide some great links and info on hot island locations, and showcase cool island style products you can purchase to remind yourself that even though life may fly by at warp speed, there is a place you can go to kick back and enjoy.
Wherever you live, you can always escape to the islands.
Thanks for visiting.
For more information - email us at sales@islandbreezebargains.com
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