Category Archives: Daily Journal

In the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, I saw quite a number of flowering plants including False Bird of Paradise (Heliconia wagneriana and Heliconia bihi), and Red Ginger (Alpinia purpurata). False Bird of Paradise (Heliconia wagneriana) SOURCE:  False … Continue reading →

Upon returning to Puerto Rico, I took a trip to the El Yunque Rainforest .  The first stop was the Visitor’s Center .  There, a painting by Emilio de La Botija called Sobreviviré (To Survive) depicts a Puerto Rican Parrot and emphasizes … Continue reading →

On the Caribbean island of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten, the northern part is occupied by the French Saint Martin and the south by the Dutch Sint Maarten .  On a tour of the Dutch part, there is an impressive … Continue reading →

Leaving Marigot, Saint Martin, there is one last view to see, and that is the ships at Marina Fort Louis .  We headed for Orient Beach, had lunch at a restaurant/bar there, and rented beach chairs and umbrellas for the … Continue reading →

The next stop on my Caribbean tour was Sint Maarten / Saint Martin, a small island split between the Dutch (Sint Maarten) and the French (Saint Martin) .  Marigot, the capital of Saint Martin, is home to Fort Saint Louis, … Continue reading →

After seeing the Fraser’s Dolphins (Lagenodelphis hosei) off the coast of Saint Lucia, our boat took us to the south of the island to view the Pitons, two volcanic plugs that dominate the skyline of this portion of Saint Lucia .  … Continue reading →

While in Saint Lucia, I took a boat trip to see whales and dolphins in the waters around the island .  I saw no whales, but a very large pod of Fraser’s dolphins (Lagenodelphis hosei) followed the boat and played … Continue reading →

The next stop on my trip was the island of Saint Lucia, one of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles .  The capital of Castries has a sheltered harbor and a small airport .  While in Castries I saw … Continue reading →

The last stop in Aruba was Arashi Beach for my first taste of salt water in the Caribbean .  The beach was dotted with palapas, huts covered with dried palm leaves .  Nearby stands the California Lighthouse, built in around … Continue reading →

The oldest church on Aruba is the Roman Catholic Chapel of Alto Vista, originally built in 1750 and rebuilt in 1953 .  The chapel is well maintained, inside and out, and is popular with visitors .  Outside the chapel a … Continue reading →