Farsighted Fly Girl

An essential outing in Eleuthera is a visit to Elvina's bar and restaurant.  A laidback surfer's hangout run by  Eleuthera native Elvina and her Lousiana-bred husband, Chicken Ed,  Elvina's draws local and tourists for a taste of Eleuthera nightlife. Tuesday and Friday nights are when the bar hops with live music, often lead by Eleuthera resident Lenny Karavitz.  I stopped by Elvina's late one Saturday night with my journalist crew. Chicken Ed sat outside at the door, nodding to regulars while gaggles of locals sip Kalik and eye newcomers. The band was led by a blond American singing "Lay Down Sally." Not exactly what I had expected to hear.  He continued with weak renditions of blues classics and I started to believe that I wouldn't be hearing anything authentic, when Blue took the stage.  Covered in shades and a cowboy hat, Blue dug into rake n' scrape tunes filled with scratchy rhythms from the  carpenter's saw, goombay drum and concertina

Baths are my favorite method of relaxation, sitting in warm water always soothes away stress and fatigue.  Climbing through the craggy hills and coves to reach Eleuthera's Queen's Baths , I felt both of these sentiments without so much soothing. The Queens Baths are small, natural, tidal pools surrounded by miles of uneven coral and oolitic limestone. Yes, I had an informal geology lesson while scaling the formations. Oolitic limestone is composed of calcium carbonate "oolites", which are small spheres formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate on sand grains or shell fragments.  In other words, deep grooves covered the formations as you can see above. In order to make it to the Baths, you need steady feet, good balance and sturdy- soled shoes. Of course, I had none of these.  Fortunately, I made it by walking slowly and carefully. I wasn't about to climb down the curvy rocks that lead into the pools in my sandals but the water rippled enticingly.  Th

Long, cold winters are a Chicago hallmark.  I know it's only February but technically, there're three more freezing months to go. It doesn't really start to warm up consistently until June. So this is the time that I start my winter dreams of tropical escapes.  Cachoeira, a charming, small colonial town in Bahia, Brazil is where I long to be. Perched on the banks of Rio Paraguacu, Cachoeira is filled with cobblestone streets and warm people. Cachoeira means waterfall in Portuguese and the whole time I was there, soft sprinkles of intermittent raindrops fell. I thought the rain added to the languorous, mystical feel of the place. Of course, the fact that I visited a candomble house high in the hills of Cachoeira, might have contributed to that feeling.  I took the postcard perfect photo above while I was standing on top of a hill, gazing down at the lush beauty.  I wish I could be surrounded by all that  lavish greenery now. What are your winter dreams?

Yesterday, I finally talked to the man who changed my mind about airline service. With all the nickle and diming, security hassles and overall disreguard for customers, airline flights have become something I want to get through as quickly as possible.  Forget smiling attendants and helpful ticket agents, I'm just happy  to make it through security and in a seat.  So when I flew into Fort Lauderdale for my connecting flight to Eleuthera, I was aiming to get  out of there as quickly as possible.  I had no idea that my experience would not be close to quick and that I might not make it out of Florida at all. You see, I didn't book my ticket. The PR agency that organized my press trip did.  It seems that they only left 20 minutes to connect to my flight. Apparently, that's an illegal procedure because you're required to allow at least an hour.  Especially in Fort Lauderdale. If you've never been to Fort Lauderdale Airport, let me explain. It is an outdoor airport. Th

Last night,  rumbling walls woke me up.  As I watched the perfume bottles on my dresser pop up and down, I realized what was happening. Another earthquake hit Chicago.  I went back to sleep.  You see, natural disasters are pretty common here.  I've lived through blizzards, floods, tornadoes and this counts as the third earthquake I can remember. It was only a mild 3.8 on the richter scale.  Those tremors were nothing compared to the 12.6 inches of snow that clobbered Chi-town yesterday.  The snowfall broke the record for the most daily snow in 125 years.  Top that off with blowing and drifting snow and 7-12 below wind chills and you've got a typical Chicago winter. How do I deal? Lots of coats, sweaters, boots and a highly developed appreciation for the whims of nature.

Febuary 6 marks what would be Bob Marley's 65th birthday. Bob is celebrated around the world for his music but I believe that he represents much more.  Freedom fighter and revolutionary are overused labels but Bob truly personified the terms. It disturbs me when Bob Marley is held up as a symbol for marijuana lovers, like that's all he represents. Bob Marley gave a voice to the poor and oppressed.  He documented the injustices, urged them to fight against the system. For this, he was persecuted and attacked. Because of stupid media portayals, many don't realize that Rastafarians throughout the Caribbean were regularly beaten and jailed until very recently.  The spotlight that Bob's music unveiled on the unjust Jamaican political system reaped scorn from the elite and adoration from people in developing countries, struggling for freedom all over the world. I 've visited Bob's hometown of Nine Mile, Jamaica, a tiny fishing village perched in the mountains of Jam

I love Caribbean art. So when I heard about a gallery opening on Eleuthera, I raced there with my press group.  Eleuthera is a tiny island and everyone turns out for any kind of festive event. Everybody means families with children, teens and Lenny Kravitz, who was on the island celebrating his daughter Zoe's birthday.  I was enthralled by the vibrant images popping off the gallery's walls, like the striking painting above, called "Junkanoo Lionfish." And this one, fashioned from old car parts to create a vivid turtle shell. I was interviewing the owner, Ann, who was supposed to have been my masseuse on the beach that afternoon but her opening forced her to cancel, when I glimpsed Lenny in a plaid shirt out of the corner of my eye.  I was still busy taking photos when one of my journalist buddies grabbed me. The whole group was expecting me to be the one to get the scoop on where Lenny was playing.  He was standing near the door and I was eyeing some whimsical nude