Notes From Around The World : North America Series

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Cricket, conch and rum punches

Scooter rides along the coast, plucking mangoes off trees, watching a cricket match in the West Indian style, breezy beach bars for sunset drinks, and spending the night over buckets of Wadadli beer in the historic part of St. John’s City.

BARBADOS The crown jewel of the Caribbean

Plantations and rum-tasting tours, checking into the cricket stadium in one of the few countries in the West Indies that really loves and celebrates cricket. Chilling on beaches, and sunset strolls on boardwalks leading to lines of bars.

BELIZE The Caribbean chill

Spending a night at a romantic jungle lodge in the rainforest’s thick foliage, waking up to chirping birds, exploring Mayan ruins, taking walks along the shore and lounging on the beachfront pier with beers.

CANADA What Is not to love about Canada, eh?

Diverse cultures, multilingual, varied landscapes and some of the friendliest people in the world.

DOMINICA Where nature comes to you

Blanketed by an untamed rainforest, experience an intense trek to a bubbling lake, getting pummelled by a waterfall or climbing up a volcano. Dominica has been spared by mass tourism because there are very few sandy beaches, no flashy resorts or direct international flights.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Divine republic

Strolling through the streets of heritage-rich Santo Domingo lined with bougainvillea flowers and stone-walled monuments, drinking coffee as you watch locals walk by and the city come alive in the evenings as families and friends gather in the many small plazas.

EL SALVADOR The challenging Central America

Bar-hopping in the hectic San Salvador, spending a night in Suchitoto, hitting the surf in the beaches on the Pacific coast and savouring a wide variety of the delectable pupusa.

GRENADA Spicing it in the spice isle

With its colourful homes, waterfalls, nutmeg plantations and forts overlooking the harbour, Grenada is a perfect stopover on a multi-island Caribbean hop.

GUATEMALA The land of lakes and volcanoes

Lakeside lodging with views of the volcanoes at Lago Atitlan, marvelling at historic charm of Antigua, getting blown away by the otherworldly pyramids and ruins in the jungles of Tikal, partying in the capital and tasting the Mayan cuisine.

HAITI The rough Caribbean

The crowded capital Port Au Prince that, for some reason, has more ‘coiffure’ hair salons per capita than anywhere else, the magnificent citadel in the Nord, the gingerbread houses in the city of Jacmel and resorts in Cap-Haitien.

HONDURAS The overlooked Central America

Tegucigalpa is where you must taste the quesillos that the locals swear by, fresh coffee brewed with beans from Honduran plantations, decadent Honduran chocolate from a fine-art refined from Mayan times, and the mystical Mayan ruins in the jungles of Copan where you can spend the night in a hacienda.

MEXICO Mexico, mi amor

A place that has it all—stunning beaches, charming colonial towns, mountains and rainforests, delectable cuisine, perfect weather and tourist friendliness.

NICARAGUA The vibrant heart of Central America

Ash boarding down the volcanic slopes of Cerro Negro, drinking in the colonial heritage in the pretty towns of Leon and Granada, lounging in the beaches of San Juan Del Sur, and the Story-laden murals of Managua. This nation has everything you might expect from a vacation.

PANAMA Central America’s headquarters

Partying like Panamanians do in the capital, getting lost in the buildings of Old Panama’s historic quarter, overwater retreat in Bocas Del Toro, exploring Spanish ruins near the coast, birdwatching in the rainforests, and, of course, witnessing a fleet of ships pass through the Panama Canal.

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS The two-faced Caribbean nation

Beachfront bar-hopping on one side, immersing yourself in some quiet time at ocean-hugging plantation resorts on the other, backpacker-friendly St Kitts and luxury lodges.

SAINT LUCIA Gros fête en petit Île

Silver sand, turquoise waters, surf-worthy waves, lush landscapes, the iconic twin peaks of Gros Piton and Petit Piton rising out of the ocean, and going through buckets of Piton beer in a hidden harbour lined with cafés and bars.

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES The Caribbean that isn’t

Braving into the dive bars of the capital, hunting for the elusive Caribbean rotis, checking out the movie sets of Pirates of the Caribbean, and looking forward to hopping on to the next island.

THE BAHAMAS Breezy bliss in the Caribbean

With its reddish-pink-washed quaint downtown, conch fritters with Kalik beer, guava duff for dessert, wreck diving, a good nightlife and fun people. Bahamas very nicely lives up to every island cliché and that is not a bad thing at all.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO A bit of India in the West Indies

Trini is home to cricket, rum, beaches, jungles, soca music, carnivals, Hindu temples and the East Indian roti and curry. Its twin Tobago is a sanctuary of serene beaches, quiet island life and magical sunsets.

TUVALU Endangered fun in Funafuti

A collection of picturesque coral atolls that is a member of many quirky lists like ‘least populous sovereign states’, ‘smallest countries’, and ‘least-visited countries in the world’. Go before the nation vanishes because of climate change. I’m not kidding.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA The land of the free

A potpourri of every other country, religion and cuisine in the world, USA is built on the baseline of immigrants who forged a new society defined by equality, free speech, righteousness. Find these things everywhere—in politics, movies, bars, sports, coffee shops, music and even technology.