A sad poll found in Jamaica's newspaper, The Observer

I was reading The Observer online this week when I found a rather sad poll asking Jamaicans if they would "pay extortion or "protection" money to safeguard your business in Jamaica?"  It's still a developing country and it saddens me to see the need to even ask that question. 

(this poll was found here, www.jamaicaobserver.com/poll, on 

the lower right part of the page)

The good news is that 75% of voters choose "No, I will not bow down to criminals" leaving 25% of the 2,365 voters choosing "Yes, it's a necessary evil here."  Still, the fact that nearly 600 voters felt the need to pay off extortion fees for protection shocks me. 

San Juan's El Morro, a old cool fort in Puerto Rico

San Juan is a major port and tourist resort of the West Indies and is the oldest city under the U.S flag.  It's also home to many historical sites including "El Morro", a wicked cool old castle that once protected San Juan's harbor.   In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra, now known as Pueblo Viejo, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west of the present metropolitan area. 

El Morro is a six-level fortress that was started up in 1540 and completed in 1589.   Major upgrades were also made to the fort in the 1760's-1780's and these updates are still seen today.  Big walls and sweeping views are provided by the fort that rises 140 feet above the Caribbean.  The walls are 18 feet thick, that type of strong wall protected the harbor and only once, in 1598, did the town face an attack, from land by  the Earl of Cumberland's forces.

The area was designated a National Historic Site in February, 1949 with 74 total acres. It has the distinction of being the largest fortification in the Caribbean. In 1992, the fortress was restored to its historical form in honor of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus. These days El Morro Fortress is a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service. The fort is open to the public daily from 9am to 5pm.   Check it out further at:  www.nps.gov/morro.

Here's a Smooth Girl Magazine video clip...

Smooth Girl Magazine is the publication that shoots annually from Jamaica each spring.  They put out a highly sought after magazine AND they sell a video of the video shoot featuring behind (no pun intended) the scenes shots.  Here's a short clip of what you can get from Smooth Girl Magazine at their online shop:  www.smoothmag.com/store. 

See more of Smooth Girls clips at:  www.youtube.com/user/SmoothMagazineTV.

For my bonita mujer...

...que realmente son hermosas.

Just The Way You Are MP3 for .99 cents

American gives out frequent-flier miles on Facebook!

Do you like free $hit?  I think most people do and here's your chance to score at least 100 frequent-flier miles from American Airlines with a promotion they currently have going on Facebook.  All you gotta do is go here, AA's AAdvantage Facebook Page, and "like" them.  At that point you get to enter into a contest where you can score at least 100 frequent-flier mile.   They're also giving out a 10,000 frequent-flier mile award to a lucky winner.  

 I thought maybe this was a scam so I decided to check it out for myself and it works!   I wasn't  an American Airline AAdvantage member so I had to take a whole 2 minutes out of my life and register and then I tried again and got 100 miles.  Cool.  True 100 miles won't get me much, really nothing, but had I won more, I'd been set.  Read what you can buy with the miles here:  AA Redeem Miles.  Example:  1,000 miles can get you a rental car or hotel room.

 The carrier says its AAdvantage-specific Facebook and Twitter "channels are the first social media channels dedicated to earning miles with a U.S. airline loyalty program."  The contest runs till March 31st, 2011.

What happens in a Jamaican dancehall...

...gets put on Vacation Barefoot Travel blog!  :-D  In January 2011, a wild dance party went down at some Jamaican dancehall.   Where, I don't know.  It seems some serious daggering was also going on to the point where a few women lost their clothes.   What's going on here???

* click any photo to enlarge it

(I got the unedited photos tucked away)

(WTF???)

(WTF Part II???)

If anyone knows the dancehall, feel free to drop me a line!

Check out this concept travel tool - Maptor!

Here's a way cool product that's yet to hit the market, I think.  Maptor.  It's a little gadget that you can hang around your neck or carry in your pocket.  Then you point it at a wall, on the floor or even some chick's booty and press a button - BOOM, you have a real time map.

There was a ton of buzz about this product in 2009 but I haven't seen it come to the marketplace just yet.  I would pick one up myself if the price was under...errr...let's say $250.  Anymore than that and I'd lean on my cell phone or the GPS in the car.  This travel accessory is super cool, but not 100% necessary.

Sex in Las Vegas - stories

Everyone knows Las Vegas is also known as "Sin City."  And for good reasons, it's the place in the US where adults think to go to let go of their inhibitions. Where else in the US can you go and get that sensual vibe like you can in Vegas?  Key West maybe?  Maybe New York City?  Hollywood?  Vegas beats them all.

(a couple take naughty photos at the MGM)

A Conference in Las Vegas

Her husband gives her permission to have fun.

Viva Las Vegas

Cathy meets and beds a stranger while in Vegas. 

What Happens in Vegas

Husband and wife have a wild weekend.

Need a new I-Phone 4 case on the cheap?

Did you just spend all your money hooking yourself up with the newest I-Phone?   Has anyone out there gotten the Verizon version of the I-Phone?   If so, results?   I hear AT&T is surprisingly quicker than Verizon at this point on the 'net speeds, AT&T iPhone 4 Faster than Verizon in 3G Tests.

Anyway...

Here's a cool case that's on sale for only $5.99 if you buy it before February 27th, 2011.

Elago S4 BREATHE Case for iPhone 4 - $5.99

Reviews come in mixed, it's not perfect, but it's not bad either.   As one reviewer said, "The Breath case for the iPhone 4 is just what I was looking for...almost. The look is good, very sharp. The texture of the material is also excellent. This will not slip from your hands. The downside? It does not always want to stay on the phone. The nature of the design means that it will have slight problems staying on the body of the phone. All round good case, very good looking, but not perfect." 

It's list price is $24.99 but it's on sale just for a few more days.   So if you're broke from buying the phone in the first place, this might be YOUR case for now.

Are you ready for a Las Vegas-themed airline?

Here's a great idea, IMHO, coming out of Las Vegas.  A Vegas businessman wants to come up with an airline that will mimic the fun on the ground in Las Vegas.  The proposed airline will be called "LV Air" and will run flights from NYC to Vegas.  They hope to be in the air by this August.

LV Air chief, Sean Smith, says his carrier would offer VIP-oriented service on four daily round-trip flights between Las Vegas and New York JFK.  He plans to lease widebody Boeing 767 jets for his regularly scheduled commercial charter operation.

(LV Air takes to the sky, check them out at:  www.flylvairnow.com)

LV Air wants to carter to the "players" and "gamblers" of the upper East coast by starting the party in the air.  A key part to Smith's plan is to strike a deal with casino operators in which casino would buy seats on the flights and then give them away to their top customers.

(enjoy a comfy flight on LV Air)

Some of the perks of flying LV Air might include inter-seat texting; inter-seat video, wireless I-Pads, club music, mood lighting and true-to-life holographic safety briefings from Las Vegas celebrities.  Deluxe Snack Packs will be offered on-board and supplied by Las Vegas restaurants, so it'll be GOOD food.

 

Other high-end possibilities, such as luggage that would be checked right to passengers' hotel rooms and "smart-phone recognition software" that would let hotel and nightclub workers know when their airline patrons are within 100 feet.   Sweet.

 So stay tuned as LV Air tries to take to the air...

Look what happenes when Kim K goes to a game...

...notice the eyes of most of the crowd. 

Does the Figueroa Hotel Have L.A.'s Sexiest rooms?

California Home+Design, Hotel Contest, is looking for L.A.'s sexiest hotel room, and the magazine has selected the Figueroa Hotel to carry the banner for Downtown in its final dozen selections.   Other noted LA Hotels are:  Beverly Wilshire, The W Hollywood, Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, Sofitel LA and others.

(Figueroa Hotel, Google Map, built in 1925)

The Figueroa Hotel is getting high remarks for it's Moroccan feel and rustic romantic appeal.  It's location is also ideal being one of Downtown Los Angeles's older hotels in an area that's mostly been revamped to include LA Live, The Staples Center (Lakers, Kings, Clippers and HUGE events) and tons of great restaurants and lots of entertainment.

Rooms start in the mid $100's for a 1 bedroom and go up to $265 for a suite. 

A sweet price on Noise-Reducing Earphones!

When you're flying you need good tunes to distract you from all the fellow passengers.  Problem solved!   Here's Elago's E3 In-Ear Earphones.  They're Ergonomically designed to fit just outside the ear canal, E3 earphones provide a comfortable fit for hours of listening enjoyment - or just NOT hearing that crying baby next to you.

 They're also on a super sale.  Normal price $29.99, now...just $10 bucks! 

Elago E3 In-Ear Noise-Reducing Earphones for $10

They'll work with that new I-Phone you got too!   It's got the standard 2.5mm jack.   As one buyer posted, "I was attracted to these headphones because they were on special. I've been through a bunch of ear bud style headphones and I have to say these are the best under $20.00 ones I've purchased so far. (probably better than some of the $40-50 ones I have). Mind you I've only had them for less than a week but the sound quality is great... deep bass, treble doesn't break up when volume is set high. As for the durability, jury is still out."

 Sounds pretty good, for $10 bucks, about the same cost as coffee from Starbucks.

Delta smacked with a record fine for treatment of disabled fliers

The Department of Transportation hit Delta with a record setting 2 million dollar fine this week for it's policy on handling accommodating disable passengers.  Complaints in 2007 and 2008 lead to the fine that the DOT says was the largest ever.

The DOT cites Delta for failing to help passengers who required assistance getting on or off its planes and for failing to "provide an adequate written response" to complaints within 30 days -- as required by law.  Delta also failed to properly report disability complaints, the DOT says.

Delta claims it did nothing wrong, but is paying the fine and they're making efforts to install more elevators, and allow customers to specify what type of wheelchair help they need when they buy a ticket on the airline's website.

Old School Smooth Girl Magazine - Deelishis in Jamaica

In March of 2007, now 33 year old Deelishis of the TV show "Flavor of Love 2" was in Jamaica for another epic photo shoot with Smooth Girl Magazine.  They shot at Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica and the following are the results...

* you can click to enlarge the pics, but they're not HQ.

BONUS VIDEO

Jamaica's newest cruise port takes on first ship

After many years of preparation, Caribbean port Falmouth has taken it's first ship of cruise passengers.  Royal Caribbean International's Voyager of the Seas landed with a group of people ready to check out the north end of the island and the 60 tours will be available, among the widest selection of any Caribbean port.

View Larger Map

Located on the north coast of the island between the well-established ports of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Falmouth is a gateway for all the classic shore excursions such as visits to Dunn's River Falls and rafting on the Martha Brae River.   Visitors will also want to check out Jamaica's visit to the 18th-century Good Hope Great House, goodhopejamaica.com, which is only 15 mins from the port.  On these beautiful grounds you can can take a horse and carriage ride, go river tubing or explore the grounds by ATV.

(Or tour Appleton's Estate while in Falmouth)

Royal Caribbean and the Jamaica Port Authority joined in efforts to open up this port at the cost of $170,000,000 (that's 17 million).   It was slated to open up late 2009 but the project hit many delays including environmental and finical.   But it's complete now and ready to roll.  I wonder how this new port will affect Jamaica and/or cruising in general in the Caribbean.

More of the ladies of DR Nights - an erotic vacation.

We all know that DR Nights is THE place to go if you're looking for an erotic vacation.   

But what is an erotic vacation?   Mix up a tropical island (Dominican Republic), warm Caribbean waters, sexy ladies, golf and cigars.   Mix in another part of all you can eat terrific food, all you can drink top shelf liqueur and again, all the escorts you think you can handle.   BOOM, you got, DR Nights, the best vacation you'll ever take.

* click to enlarge any photo

They have package that start from $995 and up depending on how many nights you want to stay, what type of room you'd like and how much fun you can handle with the ladies. Speaking of ladies, these ladies are mostly Dominican. Do you know what this means? They are HOT, trust me, I know. They will make you feel like you've died and gone to heaven, you'll never want to leave the resort.

So if you want to get in on the fun, check them out at:  DR Nights.

And old article about Negril Beach Village from 1977

Here's an old review about Negril Beach Village that opened up in Negril, Jamaica in December of 1976.  A lot of you might know that later on, 1981, Negril Beach Village changed names to the now legendary Hedonism II. 

This artilce, link, was from the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, August 20th, 1977 issue.  

* click to enlarge either page

(the continued page 7)

The story chronicles the adventures of John H. Murphy III, an adventure and reporter to Negril in the early days.  He talks about Appleton Rum and the new nude beach found on this Western tip of Jamaica.  Enjoy...

Win a 5 night stay in Jamaica in a Facebook photo contest!

Here's a travel agency that's trying to drum up business by having a photo contest.  The winner get's a 5 night stay in Jamaica, cool!    The following is there press release...

One winner in All Inclusive Outlet’s Facebook Photo Contest will win a trip to Jamaica for up to four adults. Entries must be received by February 21, 2011.

All Inclusive Outlet is sponsoring a Facebook Photo Contest, and one lucky winner, and up to three friends, will win a five-night stay in Jamaica to a Breezes Resort or to SuperFun Resort.  Accommodations include double occupancy in one to two rooms for travel before December 31, 2011, based on availability. 

(Breezes Negril)

If you are 18 or older, it’s easy to enter.  Simply submit a photo of you and up to three of your friends that you would like to travel with to contest@allinclusiveoutlet.com by Monday, February 21, 2011, at 9 a.m. Eastern to be eligible.   All entries will be posted on Facebook on February 21 at 1 p.m. Eastern in the Breezes Photo Contest Album.   Ask your friends to “Like” your photo in the gallery, and the photo with the most votes/likes by 10 a.m. on February 25, 2011, will win.  For complete details and official contest rules, visit http://aio.tc/s/91.

(Super Fun Resort)

For more information about All Inclusive Outlet, visit www.AllInclusiveOutlet.com, or call 888-403-2822. 

Too thick or just right - part 5

It's time for yet another too thick, or just right poll!

*click to enlarge

Our other too thick polls are a mixed bag, but we seem like a forgiving group!

Would you pay 5 bucks for an ice cube?

I found this company here in the states selling ice cubes, for $5 a pop.  At first I'm thinking, they're nuts!  But the more I looked into it, I just might order some "ballers" ice for a special occasion. 

(order the ice a few days out, it comes on dry ice)

The bottom line:  They hand shape perfect shaped 2.5 inch little balls out of purified water so your glass can look cool and your drink can taste perfect.  I do agree with them on the fact that why would you want to pour a perfect drink with high priced spirits just to toss in tap water cubes.  Yuck.  

Check them out at:  www.glace-ice.com, I think they should toss me a few ice cubes for the free plug!

Random Hedonism II photos

Streaming out of Hedonism II Resort and Spa located in Negril, Jamaica are photos of the action.  Occupancy has been up the last few months at Hedo II.  With it's sister resort closing last year, Hedonism III, Hedo II might be getting the overflow crowd.

* click any photo to enlarge it

They got a lot of upcoming events, it's like the action in Negril just keeps getting hotter and hotter.  Will the party ever die?