Of all the things that we could suggest for Kim Gittens (or anyone else) to do on a trip to St. Croix, one of the most uncommon would be a visit to the Mt. Pellier Domino Club to check out the island’s famous beer drinking pigs.
Those of us that go back aways with the Domino Club (we used to call it Jungle Bar owing to its location deep in the rainforest) remember when the pigs used to drink real beer…and LOTS of it. This wasn’t so good for them, of course, but rest assured animal lovers: today these sweet swine receive great care, and the beer on their menu is strictly non-alcoholic.
As you can see in the video, it’s quite an experience. You gotta’ have quick hands to feed these beasts…
It’s a sunny Saturday here in Fort Lauderdale and that means one thing in my house: we’re headed to the beach!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always yearned to rush to the beach pretty much any time I see the sun shining in the sky. This even applies to my years living in New York when cooler days made a sweater more handy than a swim suit. For me, there’s no better therapy than a few hours spent amidst sand, sun and surf.
The soundtrack on many of my beach trips is a well-worn mixed-tape I made back in high school featuring my favorite Bob Marley songs. Most anyone who used to hang out with me at Sandy Point on Sundays in St. Croix would probably know the tape just by seeing, much less hearing it. The same collection of songs has accompanied me on beach excursions across the Caribbean, New Jersey, Florida and even as far away as Australia (One Love, Anna & Kasha…hope to see you guys again soon).
I still have a tape deck in my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I’ll be listening to that same cassette again in a few minutes on my way to Dania Beach.
Maybe someday I’ll share the playlist in a post here on Uncommon Caribbean. For now, though, enjoy the video above featuring piece of an interview with the legendary Tuff Gong himself.
It didn’t make many headlines earlier this week, but we at Uncommon Caribbean definitely took notice when Bloomberg reported that the Obama Administration was moving toward further easing travel restrictions to Cuba. This, of course, is music to our ears. After all, what Caribbean destination could be more uncommon than the one we’ve been banned from visiting our whole lives?
If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, then you know we already have a few destinations and experiences picked out for our first trip to Cuba, whenever that may be.
Still, we’ve gotten no closer to Cuba than my Cubs have gotten to the World Series; a much longer drought to be sure, and one with much less chance of ending…
*Sigh*
Anyway, with the prospect of unfettered travel to Cuba becoming more of a possibility for Americans in the near future, I thought I’d share a classic video from the 1930′s touting Havana’s attractions and points of interest. Not sure how much of this is still around, but I sure hope we get to check for ourselves soon.
Naomi Campbell, Robin Williams, Martha Stewart, Traci Bingham – I’ve met and worked with a lot of different celebrities over the course of my PR career, but never have I been more starstruck than when I met the guy featured in the video above.
This is Paul Keens-Douglas. A native of Trinidad who spent much of his early years in Grenada, Paul (also known as Tim Tim) is one of the most popular Caribbean storytellers around. He is also one of my greatest childhood idols. During the pre-cable TV days of late-70′s and early-80′s in St. Croix, I used to spend endless hours sitting around listening to Tim Tim performances on records and cassettes.
Like most people, I was initially drawn to Paul’s work because a lot of it is really damn funny. Tanti at de Oval still makes me laugh every time I hear it, while Party Nice, with Slim only steupsin‘, is a classic in my book right up there with anything Cosby ever put on vinyl.
Paul’s greatness as a storyteller goes way beyond comedy, though, as his serious and dramatic tales give an authentic and rhythmically wonderful look at what life is really like in the region. I’ll never forget how Storm Comin’ put the fear of hurricanes in me like nothing else I had ever seen on TV, heard at school, or read in the newspaper. It still gives me chills today.
When I met Paul, I was about 10 years-old. We were at a party at the home of a family friend in St. Croix. I have no idea how this family friend knew a legend like Paul Keens-Douglas, but I do remember nearly peeing my pants when I got the chance to shake his hand.
The video above may have a similar effect on you as it’s taken from another one of his funny stories.
To learn more about Paul Keens-Douglas, you can join his fan page on Facebook by clicking here.
Jamaica surely leads the Caribbean in “uncommon” sporting pursuits (and common ones for that matter; see Usain Bolt, world’s fastest man). Everyone knows about the country’s bobsled team, whose improbable run to the 1988 Winter Olympics was immortalized in the John Candy “classic”, Cool Runnings, but did you know that Jamaica is also the first Caribbean nation to field an entrant in the Iditarod?
You know the Iditarod, the 1,100-mile test of strength, endurance and sanity through the frigid and desolate wilds of the Alaskan Arctic… It’s about the last place you’d think to find someone from the Caribbean (you’ll NEVER find me there), but Jamaican Newton Marshall completed the race earlier this year.
Newton finished a respectable 47th out of 55 mushers, becoming the first non-white person to finish the race. The only other black musher in Iditarod history was Barry MacAlpine, who competed in the inaugural race back in 1973, but did not finish.
As was the case with their bobsledding bredren, the backstory of how the Jamaica Dogsled Team came into being is certainly fit for the Hollywood treatment. The owner of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, one of the region’s best tour companies for active and adventurous travelers, just happened to be in Canada a few years ago shopping for dune buggies. Instead, he found a dryland cart for dogsled training. Returning to Jamaica with the cart and a team of experienced dogsled trainers, the folks at Chukka set about working with the Jamaican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to train dogs rescued from the island’s streets.
That’s right, previously abandoned and unloved dogs that would otherwise be euthanized are helping to bring surprising sports glory to Jamaica! As a dog-lover who has owned several former strays and pound pups over the years, I LOVE everything about the Jamaica Dogsled Team.
If you do too, I highly recommend you check out Chukka’s Jamaica Dogsled Experience in Ocho Rios. The short video above provides a taste of the fun that’s in store when you opt for this truly unique Caribbean adventure. You can also keep up with the latest on the team by joining their Facebook fan page here.
Getting back to Newton’s unlikely Iditarod run, if you’re wondering whether a “Cool Mushings” film might be in our future, the answer is yes! This one won’t have the camp (or the Candy, of course) of Cool Runnings, though. Click here for details.
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s Carnival time just about anytime somewhere in the Caribbean. Right now, the party’s in Barbados where the annual Crop Over Festival is in full swing. We plan to run a comprehensive post on the fete in a few days, but for now, we hope you’ll enjoy this video showcasing the event’s grand finale, Kadooment.
If you like what you see and want to get in on this year’s festivities, fear not: Kadooment is always held on the first Monday in August (this year it’s August 2nd), so there’s still time to grab your feathers, your flask and your flag, and get down there!
