Bahamas

Hello and greetings from Grand Bahama Island and the town of Freeport.  I wouldn't have guessed this is where I would find myself this week but a last minute decision and a deal we couldn't refuse and here we are for two glorious weeks.
First impression of the Bahamas? Let me just say that I am eternally grateful for my home's natural disasters. In a blizzard you make a pot of soup, open a bottle of wine and snuggle.  Don't get me wrong, I realize there are people who get hurt, even people who die and lots of property damage and I am not minimizing this, it's devastating, but looking around my home for the next two weeks at the wreckage from Hurricane Matthew, I am grateful I don't live here.
Matthew was an extremely destructive tropical storm which became the first category 5 Atlantic hurricane since Felix in 2007. 2016 was an active season with thirteen named storms, five hurricanes, two of which were considered major. In Matthew's wake came widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of life as it journeyed across the Western Atlantic, including Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and here in the Lucayan Archipelago, into the United States and the Canadian Maritimes.  It is estimated that over 1,600 people lost their lives, making it the deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Stan in 2005.  There is an estimated $13.5 billion CAD in damages, which makes it the 10th costliest Atlantic hurricane in history. So what does that have to do with snow storms? I am just glad that I didn't have to live through Matthew.
The evident destruction around me is hard to reconcile with what I came to do, sit on the beach and swim in the ocean. Upon driving up the drive of the condo Brett and I have rented the entire front yard is a shambles. It looks like a war zone, trees ripped out by the roots, devastation everywhere, and here at the Cannes Village, they got off easy, with very little damage.  There are still many houses, condos, and apartment buildings that have not been so lucky and don't seem to be under any repair. Metal roof panels peeled off, clay tiles smashed and missing, houses removed from their foundations and set down again and the contents of an entire condo development deposited in the bushes along the beach, when the roof was ripped off and the sucking force of the hurricane inhaled people's personal belongings and spit it out into the ocean, only to have the ocean cough it back out onto the point by our condo. And garbage, everywhere debris, and ruins and piles of detritus waiting to be picked up and taken somewhere other than here.
The Bahamas seems like a poor island, there is a decent standard of living, but everything is expensive, at $18 for 6 rolls of paper towel, I can only imagine what building supplies cost. I hope the people of Grand Bahamas can recover, but I can't imagine the heartbreak of having to rebuild storm after storm. More tomorrow.

Cheers
Rachel

Cuba

I have to admit that I love Cuba.  I love the people, the weather, and mostly the juxtaposition of the old Spanish colonialism and post-revolutionary architecture.  This trip was no different.  We stayed at the Brisas del Caribe Resort in Varadero. Not a 5 star, but I wasn't paying for a five-star.  In Cuba, you really need to step out of your comfort zone or drop the pretentiousness to have a good time.
One of the things necessary to have a good time in Cuba is an open mind.  Cuba is a poor country, highly educated, high level of literacy and health care, but the revolution has not been good to Cuba.  I don't think things would be a whole lot better had it not happened but let's face it poor Caribbean countries do not fare well, look at DR or Haiti as an example.  The people I have met in Cuba are proud people, hardworking and kind.  The shame of it is that in this last trip we traveled in a taxi to Havana with a driver who was a chemical engineer, and were served by a fabulous waiter in an a la carte restaurant who held a Ph.D. in Epidemiology! These two men made more money serving tourists than in their respective fields.  What difference could be made in Cuba if these people went to work bettering the country? Enough of that...
The resort was a Cuban 3 star, which meant spotty hot water, not great food, and a budget room.  Here's the thing though, that's exactly what I paid for.  At less than $800 per person, I wasn't expecting a palace.  We did have hot water every day, a clean, non moldy room, we didn't lose any weight, and we had a fabulous time on a beautiful beach, and came home with a hangover and a tan.  Frankly, what more can you ask for?  The resort and most of Cuba is falling apart.  One day you are able to get hot coffee, without grounds, another the cappuccino machine is broken.  This is the way of things in Cuba.  Will your vacation be ruined if you don't have hot water today?  If so, I would stay away from Cuba.  If you are able to be flexible and love an adventure, give it a shot.  I have usually come home quite happy.

I will return one day to Cuba, likely to spend several days in it capital, Havana, and like Papa Hemingway have developed a love for the country.
Cheers
Rachel

Travel Gear

Every good adventure depends on good gear, and while I am not going in for all new gear there are certainly some things that we needed to update in our collection.  In order to prepare for this adventure, I have purchased a few new travel accessories, the Genius Pack 25" and 29"  upright hard sided luggage and a Vault Pro- Convertable Backpack from Magellan's travel gear, are what I will discuss today.  I will be test driving both pieces on a week-long trip to Cuba starting tomorrow, and I have high hopes they work out.

First,  the Magellan's Vault Pro Convertible backpack. Some really cool anti-theft features are built right into the backpack.  This is how the Magellan's website describes the bag. "Carried over your shoulder, sling-style, or on your back, this sleek, ultra-secure bag is the ultimate in convenience for travel. Security features include stainless steel cable-reinforced, slash-proof straps, RFID-blocking card slots and lockable zippers. Perfectly sized to hold an iPad or other tablet, it has three zippered compartments for accessories, plus plenty of pouches and pockets to keep you organized. It even includes a detachable mini LED flashlight for easy identification of contents. Made of durable crinkle nylon. (12½ x 10¼ x 3½'; 15 oz)."

Love, love, love the security features, something I hope I will never be able to review.  I had very high hopes for this bag, but I feel that it might not live up to my expectations. Bag finally arrived today, after almost a month in transit, and so far I am not impressed. I am willing to keep an open mind and I am test driving the bag in Cuba anyway.  The bag was purchased for our two month long European adventure, not sure I'm going to be pleased.  I like to compact nature of the bag, I like it's roomy compartments whether I have my iPad with me or not, and I think it will hold all the necessities for day to day use while travelling.  I like the straps and the fact that it can be a backpack or a shoulder bag, though it seems very uncomfortable as a shoulder bag and the straps don't, so far, stay zipped completely. Upon inspection, the rear compartment had the lining zipped so tightly into the zipper that simply opening the zipper tore the lining. It is a small tear but not a great start to the bag, and with regular use the tear is likely to get bigger. There are two small snaps that allow access into the centre compartment where the rfid blocking, cell pouch etc is and both of these snaps are broken.  One opening should not render a snap to come apart. The locking mechanism for the zippers is a great idea but is a bit fidgety and I can see this being so hard to use that it doesn't get used at all. Not a good anti-theft device if it is too difficult to use.  Older arthritic fingers would not be able to use this feature at all.  So, all in all I am willing to give the bag a go but based on first impression I couldn't recommend a bag that basically arrives from the retailer broken to anyone, especially not at this price point, which is $85USD, and a wicked shipping and handling fee when coming to Canada.  What happened to free trade?

The second review is for the Genius Pack Hardsided upright spinner luggage.  The Genius Pack website describes it thus, "We designed this crush-proof luggage to infuse hardside design with our signature "genius" features. We're proud to release the first hardside luggage with an interior organizational panel. Extremely lightweight & durable. Roll 360 degrees with 8 silent-gliding spinner wheels. Click in the zipper pullers to the integrated combination lock. Interior panel engineered with designated category compartments, permanent packing checklist to ensure you packed it all and secluded laundry compartment to keep your unclean clothes secluded. Relax & let your luggage do the work with this innovative hassle-free solution! If you're packing it- there's a spot for it." 
I ordered both the 25" and 29" uprights and have to say that I really like the integrated pockets inside. I am not a small girl and I thought yeah right my undies are not fitting in a single compartment, but they absolutely do! On this trip, I am packing a few more things that are not coming home than I will be packing for our European adventure and this all stowed neatly in the laundry compartment.  I love the idea of being able to keep clean and dirty clothes separate on a long trip. So far I would have to say that it packed well and is actually really light despite the pile of things I have put into it.  I am using the 29" and Brett is using the 25", and we don't seem to be looking for places to stash things.  One thing that I usually prefer which is missing from this bag is the tie down straps inside the bag. I prefer two separate ones left and right that I can cinch tight, allowing me to put shoes or whatever into the little crevices created by the cinching.  This bag has only a single elastic clasp that holds things together from all 4 corners,  and I saw things moving around inside when I closed the two halves together. Not necessarily a complaint, just something I usually prefer in my luggage.  I suspect that if you are using packing cubes you wouldn't really care. 

I will update my thoughts about these two products when we return from our little beach vacay. Heading to the sun and sand for a little R and R.
Cheers,
Rachel